


fight me, princess

by OwlConscience



Category: Rapunzel's Tangled Adventure (Cartoon)
Genre: Enemies to Lovers, F/F, Humor, canon-divergent post-series, this fic is very silly but i am having the time of my life with it
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-03-03
Updated: 2021-03-10
Packaged: 2021-03-16 14:48:34
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 23,160
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29826588
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/OwlConscience/pseuds/OwlConscience
Summary: What if Zhan Tiri never stole the acidic potion from Demanitus's chamber, so she was still trapped in the black rock cage and couldn't interrupt when Cassandra took the Sundrop from Rapunzel?Well, with no use for it and confronted with the reality that she doesn't have a destiny, Cassandra returns the Sundrop to a barely-conscious Rapunzel and flees with the Moonstone as the eclipse fades. While Rapunzel and her friends seal Zhan Tiri away with Demanitus's portal and begin to rebuild the city, Cassandra thinks about what to do with her life. She realizes that if she has no greater purpose, she should pursue happiness by doing what she enjoys -And two of her favorite things are fighting, and Rapunzel's attention.(Enemies to lovers fic with Cassandra as a harmless villain whose main feature is showing up in Corona at increasingly inconvenient times to challenge Rapunzel to fight her, while Rapunzel desperately tries to run her kingdom and figure out how to reconnect with Cassandra in a way thatdoesn'tinvolve them engaging in supernatural battle.)
Relationships: Cassandra/Rapunzel (Disney: Tangled)
Comments: 27
Kudos: 109





	1. rematch

**Author's Note:**

> This is a comedic fic because I've been writing serious stuff lately and I wanted to do something humorous. As I do, I got carried away with it, and now it is long.
> 
> I wanted to keep the fic lighthearted for its entirety, which can be difficult with such traumatized characters as Rapunzel and Cassandra, who have a tremendous amount of hurt between them by the end of the series. While I was writing I had a section at the very end of the document titled "Angsty Jail," and any time the scene started to get too intense I'd cut and paste the writing into Angsty Jail and try to come up with a different direction to take the scene while maintaining plausibility. (This happened a lot.) 
> 
> I could write a short essay about how the events of the series' last few episodes and the specific circumstances at the start of this fic could result in Cassandra plausibly becoming so fixated on Rapunzel in particular (since some readers might consider it to be out-of-character), but since this is a comedic fic, I don't have to! This is just how it is.
> 
> As is the case with all of my stories, it includes the edit that Rapunzel and Eugene became best friends but did not get romantically involved during the events of the movie, so they're not a couple. 
> 
> The first chapter of this story is a little slow because of set-up, but once the premise is established it picks up.
> 
> Idk if people do this for something as trivial as a fanfiction but I dedicate the story to the Cassunzel Committee, which is the most creative and clever and supportive and friendly fandom community I've witnessed. And a huge thanks to Uni (@unicornlantern on Twitter), who created the server and is its heart. I hope you guys find the story funny.

"Tell me something... how does it feel to be in the _shadow_ ," Cassandra asks menacingly, stepping towards Rapunzel.

If Rapunzel's being honest, not great. If she were a swearing gal she'd describe the situation as "the pits," but not even an ex-best-friend-induced ruin of her kingdom could justify such foul language, so she'd just call how she's feeling "not great." That is, if she could say anything, but she's currently crumpled on the ground trying to catch her breath, feeling like all of the strength had just been drained out of her body as the eclipse became complete.

Behind Cassandra, Zhan Tiri in her cage of black rock is gnawing on the bars like a stressed hamster.

Cassandra puts her hand up in front of her, and the Sundrop gem that had materialized on Rapunzel's chest at the start of the eclipse pulls away from her body. As soon as it leaves her, Rapunzel lets out a feeble cry - she had thought before the fatigue and head pain she'd been suffering from was bad, but this was so, so much worse. She collapses fully to the ground as her muscles can't hold her upright anymore, and she breaks out in a cold sweat as her body reacts to losing something it desperately needed. Rapunzel can barely keep herself conscious, and out of the corner of her eye she can see her hair darken as it turns from blonde to brown.

Rapunzel has trouble keeping up with what happens next. She hears Zhan Tiri's voice shouting at Cassandra, something she can't quite make out because non-Coronan accents are still hard for Rapunzel to understand, and this evil child is for some reason British.

As happens in moments of terror, Rapunzel's brain fixates on the inconsequential. Why does Zhan Tiri have a British accent? Why did she take the form of a child? Did they ever figure out exactly what she is? If she could take the form of anything, why a _British child_.

Rapunzel tunes back in as she hears Cassandra's footsteps approaching. She wonders briefly if Cassandra is going to kill her, although she can't fathom that her best friend would do that. Deep down this is still Cass, she's sure. Zhan Tiri and the Moonstone messed her up pretty badly, but she's still Cass. Right? Rapunzel remembers how Cassandra shot her into the ceiling on a pillar of black rock, presumably with the intent of smashing her. Well, maybe that was a misunderstanding. Surely Cassandra didn't understand her own strength and was only trying to... elevate her. Because she cherishes Rapunzel and their friendship.

Rapunzel is pulled from her thoughts as she hears Zhan Tiri speak, enunciating clearly enough for Rapunzel to make out the words.

"WHAT THE FUCK ARE YOU DOING YOU STUPID GIRL"

Out of the corner of her eye, Rapunzel can see Cassandra bending down towards her.

 _She is either going to kill me or hug me_ , Rapunzel thinks in what might be her last moments. Rapunzel considers how she'd give anything for Cassandra. Does that include her life? Rapunzel knows that it does, but with caveats. She wouldn't want to give up her life for no reason, after all. But if it were to save Cassandra's, or contribute to her life's happiness, then certainly. But Rapunzel doesn't think that the road Cassandra's on will lead her to happiness. It seems to have made her very, very angry and upset, actually. So Rapunzel's not sure that Cassandra would find happiness by killing her. So if that's what Cassandra's about to do, Rapunzel really couldn't approve of that decision.

Rapunzel's right hand is lying supine on the ground, and she feels Cassandra's cold gauntlet touch her palm. Still trying to catch her shallow breaths, Rapunzel barely moves her head to look, and she sees Cassandra place the Sundrop in her hand.

"YOU'RE A BIGGER WASTE OF CARBON THAN YOUR MOTHER YOU USELESS BITCH"

The Sundrop absorbs immediately into Rapunzel's skin, her body desperately seeking it. Rapunzel gasps as strength rushes back into her, and the moon starts moving past the sun again. She sees her hair glow golden again as Cassandra straightens.

"W-what?" Rapunzel breathes in shock. She gave it up?

"AFTER EVERYTHING YOU'VE WORKED FOR YOU'RE JUST GIVING IT UP? YOU THREW EVERYTHING AWAY FOR THIS AND YOU'RE GIVING IT UP?!"

Cassandra doesn't answer. She walks past Rapunzel towards the hole in the wall that opens to Rapunzel's balcony.

"Cass," Rapunzel says louder as she struggles to push herself up. "W-what are you doing?"

"I'm leaving," Cassandra answers without looking back at her.

"H-huh?" Rapunzel says.

"I won. There's no reason for me to stick around here," Cassandra responds flatly.

And before Rapunzel can answer, she jumps out onto the balcony. By the time Rapunzel struggles to her feet and gets to the collapsed wall, Cassandra is long gone.

🗡♡🗡♡🗡♡🗡

Thirty minutes later, Rapunzel has reunited with Eugene, her parents, and the rest of her friends. Varian has started dismantling the ruins of the portal to rebuild it in Rapunzel's room - they have devised a plan for Rapunzel to break the black rock cage with her magic just as the portal is activated in order to suck Zhan Tiri in and imprison her.

Rapunzel hears all about the bizarre nonsense dimension her friends and family had accidentally been trapped in, and Eugene and Edmund's journey to and altercation in Cassandra's black rock tower.

And Rapunzel tells everyone of her fight with Cassandra, from Cassandra's desire to prove that she comes second to no one to her victory over Rapunzel in battle, followed by her simply returning the Sundrop and leaving.

Before re-imprisoning Zhan Tiri, Rapunzel interrogates her with her friends and family in company.

"Why did Cassandra give me the Sundrop back?" Rapunzel demands. "Where did she go?"

Zhan Tiri, sitting in her cage with her composure regained, answers in her refined accent. "Well, if you were so kind as to release me from this cage, I would tell you." 

Rapunzel's eyes narrow at her a few moments after Zhan Tiri finishes speaking. (Rapunzel's brain had to catch up with what it was she had said. Accents really throw Rapunzel off.) "And why should I believe you?"

"Because I have spent months with the girl, and I know the deepest corners of her mind. I could explain everything to you - all of her decisions, where she would flee to - if only you would let me out of here," Zhan Tiri responds sensibly.

"No, I mean why should I believe that you would tell me anything after I let you out," Rapunzel says. "I doubt you'd tell me anything before."

"An accurate deduction. As for why you should believe me - well, there's not much I can say to make you trust me, is there?" Zhan Tiri asks, and her voice gets a hard edge. "It comes down to this, princess: either you care about your friend enough to take me at my word, or you're willing to leave her with her insanity to the hands of fate."

Rapunzel scowls at Zhan Tiri. "Cassandra is _not_ insane."

"And you're basing this opinion on, what, her history of rational decision making?" Zhan Tiri asks acidly. "I am telling you this: the girl is a lunatic, and she _will_ destroy herself." Zhan Tiri blinks innocently at Rapunzel. "Unless, of course, you release me and I can tell you where she is. Wouldn't you like to save her?"

Rapunzel's breath catches in her throat. Of course she'd like to save Cassandra. She would very badly like to save Cassandra from the darkness that has consumed her heart, and reconcile, and become best friends again, and have Cassandra by her side for the rest of her life. Images flash through her mind of their future together: the two of them racing on horseback, and going on picnics, and attending festivals, and having sleepovers; Cassandra helping her with queen duties, and whisking her away on impromptu adventures, and laughing at her jokes - 

The mental montage of their years together fills Rapunzel with desperate longing and some unknown emotion that makes her dizzy, which she decides is… the power of friendship.

But that would mean trusting Zhan Tiri: not only that she won't flee as soon as Rapunzel breaks the cage to wreak horrible demony/sorceressy/blizzardy havoc on Corona or some other tragic kingdom, but also that she's correct that Cassandra is in danger. 

In danger from _herself_ , specifically. With the Moonstone there's no way Cassandra would be in danger from anything else - she has indestructible armor and can summon as many unbreakable spikes and swords as she pleases in a fight. She took down a _kingdom_ by herself. No, certainly Cassandra could keep herself safe from external threats. 

But Zhan Tiri insists that Cassandra is insane and would destroy herself. Rapunzel frowns. She never thought of Cassandra as insane, not even for a moment. Sure, she'd exhibited some… irrational behavior the past couple weeks, but that was when she was still being manipulated by Zhan Tiri. When she and Rapunzel were trapped together in the mine, away from any demony/sorceressy/blizzardy influences, Cassandra had protected her and started to come around. Then before the eclipse Cassandra had caged Zhan Tiri, presumably no longer falling for her manipulations, and after fighting Rapunzel Cassandra had returned the Sundrop and left. Which, sure, a little bizarre, but _insane?_

Then there's the question of whether Zhan Tiri would even tell her anything upon release. Rapunzel knows she has no reason to trust Zhan Tiri. She has negative reason to trust Zhan Tiri. Really, if Zhan Tiri ever advises her to do something, she doesn't even have to think about the situation because the exact opposite of Zhan Tiri's advice is the best decision.

She takes a deep breath as Pascal chirps from her shoulder. She glances at his worried expression, and she's sure that the rest of their company behind her is watching nervously as well to see what her response will be.

Rapunzel makes her decision.

"Cassandra doesn't need saving. She's not in danger of herself, and she's _not_ insane," Rapunzel repeats. "She was upset and hurting and then _you_ made everything worse," Rapunzel says, scowling at Zhan Tiri, "but soon you'll be gone." 

Zhan Tiri's face abruptly changes as she hisses wordlessly in fury at Rapunzel with her fangs and a forked snake tongue. 

"What did you even do to her?" Rapunzel demands, thinking of how warped Cassandra had become with anger and hate during her time in Zhan Tiri's company.

"Me?" Zhan Tiri asks as her face abruptly shifts back to normal and she assumes an innocent tone. "I didn't do anything. I simply explained to her how to use the Moonstone, and elucidated the ways you sought to put her down so she'd want to break free from your control."

"So you lied to her to make her hate me," Rapunzel says angrily.

" _Lied?_ " Zhan Tiri looks aghast. "It was no lie. Were you not the one who kept her as a servant? Who made her mother abandon her? Who never let her act in any way that displeased you? Who _destroyed her hand?_ "

Rapunzel recoils at Zhan Tiri's words. "I- some of those aren't true! And she forgave me for the hand!"

"Did she?" Zhan Tiri asks smugly. "Or did you simply force her to speak and act how you'd like?"

Rapunzel feels anger fill her. "I never forced her to do anything! You- you're the one who did that! You made her attack Corona, her home and her friends!"

"I invite you to interrogate what it is about here that would make you think she saw it as a home, and what it is about how you treated her that would make her think you're her friends," Zhan Tiri answers with a dry tone. "You're right on one account, princess: I poured fuel on the fire to make her think you wanted her dead. But the fire was there long before I was, and _you_ were its source."

Rapunzel grits her teeth. "Varian, is the portal ready yet?" Rapunzel asks, turning towards him and filled with the desire to throw Zhan Tiri into her prison as soon as possible.

"Uhhh," Varian says awkwardly, twisting a wrench. "No, not yet. I'll still need another... ten minutes... or an hour... somewhere between there... probably."

Rapunzel lets out a sound of exasperation and starts to pace.

"Hey, uh, sunshine, why don't you sit down?" Eugene invites her, patting the spot next to him on the bench near Rapunzel's bed. "You- you deserve to relax, after everything that's happened."

"HOWAMISUPPOSEDTORELAX," Rapunzel explodes at him, turning quickly and throwing her arms out. "My kingdom is destroyed, I've got THIS-" she gestures to Zhan Tiri, "in my room, and my best friend is I-don't-even-know-where!"

"Honey," Arianna says gently, gracefully sweeping towards Rapunzel and touching her shoulder. "I understand how you're stressed. But you have to remember we just had some amazing victories. Corona is safe, soon the-'' Arianna looks over Rapunzel's shoulder at Zhan Tiri, seeking an accurate descriptor, "-problem will be gone, and we'll have everything go back to normal."

"'Problem'?" Zhan Tiri says, affronted. "I am an archdemon of chaos and you decided the word to describe me is ' _problem_ '?"

"Oh, huh, that's what she is," Rapunzel says to herself looking over at Zhan Tiri.

"The point is, honey," Arianna says, touching Rapunzel's chin to turn her face back. "You do deserve to relax. Rebuilding can start tomorrow."

Rapunzel looks miserably at her mother. "I know, I just," she hangs her head. "I wish Cass were here."

Eugene walks over to Rapunzel to put a comforting hand on her back. "I know, sunshine. But we'll find her."

"If she wants to be found, and if you can find her before she is dead," Zhan Tiri muses from behind them.

Eugene turns to glare at the archdemon of chaos, and then he speaks to Varian. "Say, hairstripe, do you still have that electrocuting helmet?"

"Hate me all you want," Zhan Tiri responds. "You just don't want to face the truth. The girl is insane, and all of _you_ have driven her there. Even if she's alive and even if you do find her, she'll want nothing to do with you."

"Don't listen to her," Eugene tells Rapunzel.

Rapunzel bites her lip at Zhan Tiri's words. Surely, if Cassandra truly did hate her and Corona, she would have stuck around to ensure their complete destruction - but instead she gave Rapunzel her power back and left. And Rapunzel keeps remembering the way they had worked together and laughed together while escaping the mine - Cassandra, _her_ Cassandra is still there. Rapunzel just needs to find her. 

"We're going to get Cass back," Rapunzel says firmly, more to herself than anyone else. "The problem will be gone and Cass and I will become friends again."

🗡♡🗡♡🗡♡🗡

Knowing her "stronghold" has been breached - she could no longer sense the mind trap talisman, which means it must have been destroyed, which means someone got in - Cassandra doesn't have many options for where to go once she decides to leave Corona castle. The only other place she could think of is the cottage she lived in as a child with Gothel, but Rapunzel knows of it, and Cassandra doesn't feel any particular fondness for it anyway.

An hour later, she finds herself beyond Corona's walls at the site of the Sundrop's plaque.

It's surrounded by spikes the way Cassandra remembers from the night she first found it and the night she had brought Rapunzel there. This was her first time seeing it in the daylight. Cassandra retracts some of the spikes and walks past the plaque to sit at the cliff's edge, looking out over the water.

She needs to think.

She hadn't had the time or space to think before this, of course. Even alone in the wilderness she was plagued by the ghost of Zhan Tiri explaining in vivid detail to her everything she should feel anger about in an attempt to "help" her master the rage-driven powers of the Moonstone and protect herself from Rapunzel trying to control her again. (Of course, Cassandra can now admit that Zhan Tiri was manipulating her for her own purposes - the destruction of Corona, probably, considering her blizzardy history.) When it became clear that her rage wasn't enough to master the stone, Cassandra became single-mindlessly focused on retrieving the scroll (Zhan Tiri's idea)... then retrieving the mind trap (Zhan Tiri's urging)... then investigating her childhood home (Zhan Tiri's suggestion - you know, there might be a pattern here).

The point being, Cassandra hadn't done much thinking of her own for a while. It's time. She revs up her remaining brain cell to consider her situation.

Cassandra had been furious with Rapunzel and Corona. For good reason, she still thinks, although she admits that Zhan Tiri's interference escalated her feelings. But there were things before Zhan Tiri appeared - her not given a chance to be something more than a servant in Corona, and Rapunzel treating her like shit, notably.

 _And Rapunzel had tried to kill me_ , Cassandra thinks, scowling. Rapunzel wanted to imprison her in amber yesterday. And all she wanted today from Cassandra was the Moonstone - she was willing to physically fight Cassandra for it, and this time _she_ started the fight. She doesn't care about Cassandra. Zhan Tiri was right that Rapunzel only likes her when Rapunzel is able to control her, and now that she can't, she wants Cassandra out of the way.

Cassandra's expression shifts to distress. Then why had Rapunzel said all those nice things yesterday, about how she had done things wrong too and she thought that deep down Cassandra's a good person? Cassandra would think it were a ploy to get Cassandra to trust her again in order to control her, but she said those things while Cassandra was disguised as Faith.

Cassandra picks up a rock near her and throws it off the cliff into the water. _None of this makes any sense._

She frowns, thinking about the events of the past day. Yesterday she got a little carried away with her temper and destroyed a city, much to Zhan Tiri's delight. Then Zhan Tiri kept urging her that the eclipse was finally her chance to destroy (kill) Rapunzel once and for all before Rapunzel could destroy (kill) her. Then she caged Zhan Tiri because she's an annoying little shit and Rapunzel started to fight her.

But Cassandra never wanted to destroy Rapunzel. Not physically, mentally, emotionally, politically, intellectually, financially, or metaphysically. She just wanted Rapunzel to know that she wouldn't bend to Rapunzel anymore - that she has her own destiny. And she wanted everyone else to know that she's more than they all thought of her.

And now they do. Cassandra beat Rapunzel in a fight and stripped her of the Sundrop. All of Corona witnessed Cassandra's strength. She accomplished the goals she had set for herself.

So... what now?

Cassandra draws spirals in the dust next to her. She doesn't have a home anymore. She doesn't have any friends - not even a manipulative little shit for company.

And she doesn't have a destiny. Zhan Tiri told her that her destiny was to destroy Rapunzel. Well, Cassandra's not doing that. She got as close as she was willing.

"You have any ideas?" Cassandra asks aloud, glancing down at the shining stone on her chest, the one thing she has left in her entire life.

Which, admittedly she could be worse off. If she was going to have exactly one thing, superpowers is pretty damn cool. She could make anything she wants out of black rock. She never has to fear anyone or anything ever again with her strength and indestructible armor.

The stone, predictably, does not answer her. Cassandra looks back up to squint at the horizon. Surely Rapunzel will pursue her. Rapunzel's convinced that reuniting the powers is her destiny, so she'll never stop until she gets the Moonstone.

 _But why?_ Cassandra controls the black rocks now. She wouldn't let them destroy the world. Rapunzel needs to chill. Maybe that's what she'll do next. Tell Rapunzel to chill.

Cassandra's not terribly in the mood to return to Corona right now, though. And maybe for once she should consider her life beyond one single step ahead of her. Get herself some concrete long term goals, formulate a five year plan. Consider her career trajectory. The works.

Cassandra falls backwards onto the ground to look at the sky. She has no idea what her destiny could be. So, what is it that she _wants_ to do?

She could go to Ingvarr or some other kingdom to join their ranks to live her old dream of being a warrior. They might be a little intimidated by her, though, on account of how she's essentially a demigod who could lay waste to an entire nation by herself. Yeah, after what they heard of Corona, other kingdoms might not want her around. And besides, being a guard or soldier just puts her right back where she was, right? Taking orders... admittedly the orders would involve tasks a lot better than lady-in-waiting ones, but it's still being a subordinate.

Of course, Cassandra also doesn't want to be _not_ -a-subordinate. She doesn't want to rule. That would be tedious and boring as fuck. She's sure of that, considering how she attended most of Rapunzel's princess lessons with her about politics and diplomacy and hearing out the _needs of the people_... yeech. No, Cassandra has no interest in becoming a monarch or warlord or whatever. She shan't be overthrowing any (more) governments.

Cassandra folds her arms behind her head as she watches the sky and thinks.

Maybe in order to figure out what she wants, she should consider what has made her happy throughout her life. If she can narrow down what makes her feel happy, she might come up with a path to follow to pursue further happiness. Cassandra finds this idea promising and starts brainstorming.

Well, fighting, obviously. She fucking loves to fight, so fighting is definitely something that has made her happy. She loves beating people in battle. She loves showing off her technical knowledge and skills with weapons. But she doesn't want to become a guard or soldier...

Cassandra makes a face at the next thought of what has made her happy. It was Rapunzel. Sans all the shittiness, of course. Those times she was able to pretend that she wasn't Rapunzel's servant - that they were equals and friends - they had a lot of fun together. Cassandra frowns, considering what she could do with that. If she could reconcile with Rapunzel for real and maintain her position removed from all the Corona royalty bullshit while keeping the Moonstone, they could be friends without the power imbalance. But Cassandra doesn't know if that would work. It's entirely possible Zhan Tiri was right, that Rapunzel only likes her when she's under Rapunzel's thumb and that she'd never want to be involved with Cassandra otherwise. Plus, Rapunzel is so committed to taking the Moonstone from her. And Cassandra just destroyed her kingdom and knocked her through several walls - any chance she had for reconciling is certainly long gone at this point...

Cassandra moves on to consider other things that have made her happy. She likes animals. Maybe she could start a horse ranch with some chickens. But that sounds like a boring life in the long term...

She likes map making. She could become a cartographer. Which also sounds like it could become boring...

 _No_ , Cassandra thinks, shaking her head. _Those last two should be kept as hobbies, not something to center my life on._

She feels like she's hit a dead end. With a sigh, Cassandra gives up her intensive thinking before she gets a headache and thoughtlessly watches the clouds overhead.

Her unoccupied mind returns to fighting. She had a lot of fun fighting Rapunzel earlier that day. A _lot_ of fun. It was so cool to try to unleash her powers in different ways to take Rapunzel down. What a rush. And Rapunzel was paying attention to her, taking her seriously. She was important to Rapunzel, not some useless servant to be used and discarded. Cassandra smiles looking up at the sky. She'd really like to fight Rapunzel again.

Especially since Rapunzel wasn't at her full strength this time because of the eclipse. _Wait_... Cassandra frowns. The eclipse... it's what ended the fight, it's why she could take the Sundrop. Rapunzel was rendered powerless by it.

Paranoia grips Cassandra. Does that mean that others would think she only won by cheating? Because- she did. It was cheating. How the hell does that fight prove anything?

Cassandra bolts upright. "I have to fight her again," she says out loud.

Cassandra stands to start pacing anxiously. She has to fight Rapunzel again, obviously. She has no other choice. She needs to beat Rapunzel in a fair fight so everyone knows she's stronger.

Cassandra bites at her forefinger knuckle in thought. She can't try to fight her again too soon. Rapunzel needs to recover her full strength so it'd be a fair fight. So she definitely shouldn't take off to return to Corona castle right this moment, as much as she wants to.

"I'll wait a few days," Cassandra says to herself. "Or maybe- a week? How long would it take her to recover? Arrrrgh," she groans. "I should have stuck around longer to see how she was feeling." She presses the heels of her hands to her eyes in frustration.

 _Okay- a week_ , she decides. She'll wait a week and then go back to Corona to challenge Rapunzel again.

Cassandra lets out a breath. It was relieving to have a plan ahead of her, as short term as it might be. Oh, and she could also tell Rapunzel to chill while she's over there. That feeds two birds with one hand.

Cassandra sits cross-legged at the edge of the cliff, satisfied with her plan. She'll just hang out in the woods until then. It's not like that's anything new to her. She spent months camping-minus-camping-gear in the woods before returning to Corona.

"I should train," Cassandra says to herself. "I've gotta stay sharp... I'll practice with my rocks... make myself a new sword..."

Cassandra can't keep a smile from breaking across her face. She can't wait. She'll get to see and fight Rapunzel again.

"Maybe... THIS is what I should do..." Cassandra thinks aloud.

It combines her love of fighting - with someone at her level, who could match her powers - and her enjoyment of Rapunzel's company while also taking into account how Rapunzel likely doesn't want to reconcile and Cassandra wants to stay away from Corona's system. It's perfect. She could make a career out of this.

"No no, I shouldn't get ahead of myself," Cassandra protests. "We'll see how this next fight goes. Then I'll decide if I want to fight her more."

But Cassandra can't keep herself from grinning like a fool at the thought.

🗡♡🗡♡🗡♡🗡

"You've got to be kidding me. Out of all the buildings in the city, THIS is the only one without any damage?" Rapunzel asks in disbelief during her survey of the capital, holding a clipboard with Pascal on her shoulder and Eugene and Maximus by her side.

"What, you got a problem with that?" Monty snaps at her in front of his candy shop. "You wish the place was reduced to a pile of rubble? You want to break my business yourself? Here's a rock, you can throw it through the window," he continues, picking up a piece of debris from the adjacent building and offering it to Rapunzel derisively.

"No- Monty, I just," Rapunzel sighs exasperatedly. She pauses and takes a deep breath, pulling her expression into a pleasant smile. "I'm glad that the citizens don't have to wait for repairs before they can continue to enjoy your delicious sugary treats."

"Yea that's what I thought," Monty tells her, tossing the rock aside.

"Your highness!" A guard shouts, running up the street towards her. Rapunzel turns in surprise as he approaches, and he wheezes out his message between gasps, bent over to catch his breath. "It's- the city's walls- the lookout has spotted Cassandra. She's approaching the city."

Rapunzel exchanges a look of shock with Eugene next to her, and they quickly mount Maximus to take off towards the city's main bridge.

Rapunzel had spent the last week focusing on helping her people recover from the destruction in the capital, so she hadn't had the chance to start looking for Cassandra. After sealing away Zhan Tiri - who offered them no further information on Cassandra, the Sundrop or Moonstone, or her history and motives - the first thing Rapunzel and her parents did was organize teams of guards and civilians to assess the extent of the damage to people's homes and relocate those with nowhere to go to temporary shelter. It was intensive work that took all of the resources at their disposal in order to ensure the safety of their people before starting to rebuild. 

Rapunzel did spend one afternoon, though, riding out towards Cassandra's black rock tower with Eugene to look for her, but there was no sign she'd been there. Rapunzel resigned herself to waiting until the kingdom was in better shape before dispatching search parties - or searching herself - for her friend.

And now, Cassandra has returned. Rapunzel has no idea what for. Does she want to attack the city again? Does she want to reconcile with Rapunzel? Does she want to give Rapunzel the Moonstone? Had she changed her mind and decided she wants to take the Sundrop after all? 

Within a couple minutes they reach the city's gate. Rapunzel sees Cassandra in her black rock armor standing in the entry's square, speaking to the guards that have her surrounded at a large distance shakily pointing their halberds towards her. All of them look terrified, and none of them want to get close.

"Relax, I'm not here for any of you," Cassandra tells them, unimpressed.

"Cass!" Rapunzel yells at her, Max skittering to a stop on the cobblestones and Rapunzel quickly dismounting to approach her friend. "Please, don't hurt anyone. I want to talk."

"Ah, finally," Cassandra says looking at her. "Your guards are slow as hell. I've been waiting for like, five minutes." She runs a hand through her blue hair in a smooth motion before pointing directly at Rapunzel, and she says dramatically - almost theatrically - "I'm here for a rematch, princess." 

"W-what?" Rapunzel stutters. "Cass, I don't want to fight you, I want-"

"Yeah yeah, you want the stone," Cassandra cuts her off dismissively, waving a hand. She puts her hand to the Moonstone. "Well, you're going to have to take it from me."

"I don't-!" Rapunzel tries to answer in a distressed cry.

"Also, you have to chill," Cassandra interrupts.

These words make Rapunzel malfunction. She pauses, silent, trying to process them. Finally, after a few moments: " _I_ have to chill? _**I**_ have to chill?!" Rapunzel gestures all around her at the destroyed buildings and large black rock spikes from that time Cassandra lost her temper and demolished a city. " _ **I**_ HAVE TO CHILL?"

"That's right," Cassandra answers. "You're taking the destiny thing too seriously."

"Oh that is IT!" Rapunzel shouts, overcome with rage at Cassandra's hypocrisy, and she doesn't even realize what's happening as her hair glows gold and unravels from her braid - and then lunges magically towards Cassandra to grab her around the waist, rear back, and snap forward again to _throw_ her over the city's wall.

"Woah," Eugene says from behind Rapunzel after Cassandra goes flying. "Could- could you always do that?

"I don't know but I did not mean to," Rapunzel answers, desperately pulling her misbehaving hair back towards her. "Ohhh now she's definitely going to want to fight," Rapunzel continues, stressed.

"Well, to be fair I don't think you could've avoided it," Eugene tells her. "Also, she had that coming. I'm sure everyone who saw that thought it was awesome."

"That was awesome, your highness!" A guard shouts from across the square.

"See?" Eugene tells her.

"I'm- I'm going to go after her," Rapunzel says, but before she can rush towards the gate, there's a rumbling followed by a huge crash of stones breaking beyond the wall. An enormous spike of black rock rises into Rapunzel's view over the rampart, with Cassandra near the top holding the spike with one hand.

"YOU THREW ME INTO THE FUCKING OCEAN," Cassandra shouts, and Rapunzel can barely make out how her blue curls are darkened and weighed down with water.

"Well- well that's good!" Rapunzel yells back at her. "Because- you're the one who actually needs to chill! And the ocean is cold, so, now you're chilled!"

Eugene puts his head in his hand behind her, and Cassandra doesn't move or respond for a few moments. Finally, she answers in a shout: "YOUR TRASH TALK STILL SUCKS."

"It was good when I was talking to Zhan Tiri before the eclipse, I swear," Rapunzel tells Eugene. She turns back towards Cassandra to yell in response, "Your decisions suck!"

"You're not doing so hot with the non-confrontation thing right now, blondie," Eugene informs her.

"I know," Rapunzel says disappointedly. "She just makes me so mad, y'know?"

"I know more than you could possibly imagine," Eugene answers in a deadpan.

They're interrupted by Cassandra leaping off of her spike to land in the center of the square, breaking the stone under her and sending droplets of seawater flying. "Let's get this started, princess," Cassandra tells her, holding her hand out next to her to materialize a sword out of black rock.

"Eugene, get everyone out of here," Rapunzel tells him, handing off Pascal to him and wrapping locks of her hair around her hands. Rapunzel reaches within herself for her magic, and her hair lights up again in a blaze of gold.

The corner of Cassandra's mouth quirks up in the moment before she lunges towards Rapunzel.

While Eugene and the other guards herd people away, Rapunzel and Cassandra begin their battle. Rapunzel tries to avoid further property damage as much as possible, since they're not in the castle this time and instead are surrounded by people's actual homes and businesses. Cassandra, however, exhibits no similar care.

Rapunzel remembers the rules Cassandra had laid out for her years before when trying to teach her self defense. " _Turn your enemy's strength into a weakness_." " _Use your opponent's strength or size against them_." " _Distance is everything. Keeping your feet moving means you decide when you're close enough to strike, or far enough to avoid their strikes_." " _Hit 'em where it hurts_." " _Play to your strengths_." " _Don't doubt yourself, and don't give in_." 

Rapunzel tries her hardest to utilize all of these in her fight. But she doesn't know how to turn Cassandra's strength into a weakness, nor how to use Cassandra's strength against her. Rapunzel tries to keep herself far enough from Cassandra to dodge her attacks, but Cassandra can summon spikes from anywhere. Rapunzel starts to think that maybe some of these rules only apply to normal, not-magical battles.

It's difficult to keep up with Cassandra due to her physical strength, magical powers, unbreakable armor, and her years of practice with fighting. But Rapunzel has her indestructible hair that she's considerably talented wielding, and her abilities to break the black rocks and release blasts of energy. It allows her to hold her own against Cassandra for a long time.

Very long. Rapunzel has no idea how much time they've spent exchanging blows, with Cassandra summoning more spikes and swords as Rapunzel breaks them, and Rapunzel lassoing Cassandra to try to subdue her, but it feels like _hours_. Finally Cassandra ducks under Rapunzel's hair she'd just thrown, and lunges towards Rapunzel to knock her to the ground. 

She had managed to do this a couple of times before, and each time Rapunzel would blast Cassandra off of her with her energy powers. But this time, Rapunzel is so exhausted, she doesn't have the strength.

Cassandra pins Rapunzel's wrists to the ground over her head, her face inches from Rapunzel's. She's breathing heavily and her curls fall forward, just barely brushing Rapunzel's cheeks, still slightly damp with seawater. At the edge of her vision, Rapunzel can see electric blue magic zapping off of the Moonstone set in Cassandra's chest. Crushed under her weight and unable even to _see_ much except Cassandra, Rapunzel is entirely at her mercy.

Rapunzel glares into Cassandra's eyes, which flick briefly around Rapunzel's face, as though looking for some indication of her next move. But Rapunzel has no further moves. So instead she just glares.

A few moments pass without either saying anything, just looking at each other while trying to catch their breaths. As it becomes apparent to Cassandra that Rapunzel has no intention of magically launching her the street over, she lets out a breath of a laugh as a smile rises on her face, still with that fiery glint in her eye.

 _What now?_ Rapunzel wonders, ignoring fluttering in her chest at Cassandra's fierce smile. _Does she want the Sundrop? It's not a gemstone anymore, so she can't take it. Does she realize that?_

"I win," Cassandra says quietly without pulling away.

Before Rapunzel can respond, Cassandra lets go of Rapunzel's wrists and leaps to her feet. Without looking back, Cassandra summons a large black rock spike and uses it to jump over the nearby city wall, disappearing as quickly as she had arrived.


	2. looks real nice

"Ohhhhhh man that fucking ROCKED!" Cassandra cheers to herself in the woods beyond Corona's capital. She's so ecstatic she's physically fist pumping and jumping around. She's sure her body is going to ache like hell the next day, but right now she doesn't even care.

She spins once before collapsing on the grass under a large tree, staring up at the foliage and pieces of sky visible, her arms stretched out next to her.

"Oh man that rocked," Cassandra repeats to herself, breathless. That had to have been in the top five - no, top _three_ fights in her life. The goddamn sun is lowering towards the horizon they fought for so long.

She feels exhilaration and giddiness even stronger than the night before she'd destroyed Corona, when she was telling Owl about her plan to reconcile with Rapunzel. Cassandra smiles hugely. _That fight definitely proved I'm stronger_ , she thinks to herself.

Cassandra's high starts to wear off as she recognizes she's again in a position of having no idea what she's going to do with her life. She frowns as she mentally grasps at the fleeting excitement she'd just been feeling, not wanting it to slip away just yet. She thinks back to the best part of the fight: having Rapunzel pinned under her, their faces close, Rapunzel glaring back at her with the hint of a petulant pout. Cassandra feels a rush of some unknown emotion that makes her dizzy, which she decides is… the satisfaction of victory.

But she can only avoid her problem for so long. As the sky darkens with the sun beyond the horizon, Cassandra concedes that she needs to figure out what to do next, as she can't simply lie under this tree for the rest of her life.

Or could she…

Cassandra shakes her head to dismiss that thought. No, she has to come up with something to do next. She remembers that when she first thought of the plan to have a rematch with Rapunzel, fighting Rapunzel seemed to be a great option for combining things that make her happy.

Well, that's doubly confirmed now. Her heart still races thinking about it. 

"What if I just… do it again?" Cassandra asks herself. 

It's not like she has any _better_ options. And this would definitely make her happy. Fighting fulfills several different purposes for her: it's a competition that she can win to make others know she's superior, it's the only way she knows how to work through emotions (she's still convinced there aren't actually other ways), and it's _fun_. Further, it's the only way Cassandra can think of how to keep Rapunzel in her life.

Her mind jumps back again to the fight earlier that day. Cassandra had no idea Rapunzel's hair could psychically move like it did when it grabbed her and threw her. Cassandra wonders what other powers Rapunzel might be hiding or not know about - and what other powers she herself might have that she's still unaware of. So besides all those reasons Cassandra's already come up with for why it's a good idea, fighting Rapunzel means that they both continue to figure out their powers more, too.

Cassandra racks her brain for reasons why it could be a _bad_ idea. She could get hurt, for one thing, but she's never let considerations of personal safety stop her from anything before. She could hurt Rapunzel, whom she doesn't actually want to harm despite her frustrations, but surely she'd be able to avoid _actually_ hurting her. She could be imprisoned upon losing a fight, but Cassandra is confident that she'd be able to break out of anywhere they might try to keep her - even the amber couldn't hold her. The only thing that might be able to contain her is Rapunzel's hair, but surely she'd be able to cause enough problems with black rocks around them that Rapunzel would be forced to let her go. Really, the plan is entirely foolproof.

And all other considerations aside, the fact is that Cassandra _very badly_ wants to do it again.

So she decides to go through with it. Excitement begins to return to her and a smile rises to her face. Knowing that she'll have to be in Corona again sometime soon to challenge Rapunzel again, it occurs to Cassandra that she needs a place to stay.

She wonders if Rapunzel has destroyed her black rock tower yet.

🗡♡🗡♡🗡♡🗡

"And then she just… left?" Eugene asks, sitting in Rapunzel's room with their other friends and watching Rapunzel pace.

"Andthenshejustleft!" Rapunzel exclaims, agitated.

"Excuse me princess, but I fail to see the problem with that," Lance comments from his armchair.

"Yeah," Angry chimes in from where she's having a toy sword fight with Catalina near Lance. "Would you rather she stuck around and broke _more_ stuff?" Catalina dodges Angry's lunge, causing her to knock into a side table and the vase sitting on top of it, which Lance quickly grabs before it shatters on the ground.

Rapunzel sighs in frustration, putting her hands up to smooth her hair. "I don't- I don't know what I want," she admits.

"Sounds like she doesn't know what she wants either," Catalina observes while ducking under another swipe of Angry's sword. "I think you two should talk it out."

"I've-" Rapunzel holds up her hand and stares at it with a downright unhinged expression as she closes it into a fist. " **Tried**."

"Well, maybe she doesn't want to talk to you because she doesn't know how you feel," Angry says, parrying one of Catalina's strikes. "That weirdo purple girl said Cassandra thought you wanted to kill her, right? You should tell her how much she means to you. You just gotta yell it until she hears you."

Rapunzel sits on one of the collapsed columns near the hole in her wall that's been barely patched. "I thought I'd done that," she sighs. She glances up and out towards the kingdom. "But I guess not." She rubs her forehead and adds, "Of course, I don't even know where to begin. I have no idea where Cassandra is. I'm back where I was a week ago."

"I think you should keep your sight on what you've already been doing sunshine," Eugene recommends, walking over to sit next to her and put an arm around her shoulder. "Obviously Cassandra is… around… and she doesn't want to attack Corona again, which is all a good start. I think you should focus on getting the kingdom back in order and then we'll go find her."

"I just," Rapunzel starts, gesturing vaguely in confusion. "I don't understand _why_ she came back. She said she wanted a rematch? From _when?_ She _beat_ me during the eclipse. And then we fought, and she beat me again, and she left. Like, what was the _point?_ "

"Well, fighting for the sake of fighting kinda sounds like the most Cassandra-y thing she's done since she took the Moonstone," Eugene observes.

Lance chuckles. "Yeah, if there's one thing we know about Cass it's that her definition of fun is a brawl."

"There's no way Cass came all the way back here and spent all that time fighting me just for _fun_ ," Rapunzel answers. She looks back out at the kingdom. "There has to be something deeper we're missing."

🗡♡🗡♡🗡♡🗡

"This is going to be _so fun_ ," Cassandra says to herself excitedly a week later on her way to Corona's capital. She had taken up residence in her black rock tower again, which Rapunzel hadn't gotten around to destroying yet. So she touched it up a little and sealed the ground entry and carved "GO AWAY" in the stone where the entry used to be in case Rapunzel came back.

And now, a week later, she's decided that surely Rapunzel has had enough time to recover from their last fight. Also, Cassandra is impatient and doesn't want to wait any longer.

She has a skip in her step walking through the trees. She's decided to circumvent the commotion of the guards spotting her as she crosses the bridge towards the city this time, so before leaving the woods to approach the road she pulls the hood up on the shape-shifting cloak she "borrowed" from the Spire, taking the form of one of the farmers in Old Corona.

She walks easily into the capital, surrounded by the commotion of both everyday life and construction. She notices that many of the large spikes she had summoned in her attack had been removed, presumably by Rapunzel with her magic, which makes even more clear all the structural damage the roads and buildings had endured. She frowns while looking around, confronted without interruption by the reality of the destruction she had caused.

Then she shrugs to herself and keeps walking.

Cassandra decides to appear in the city's main square, which is currently bustling with its usual vendors and shoppers, as well as carts hauling timbers and stones for construction. Despite the damage done to the city, everything is bright and cheerful with colorful market booths and flower garlands hung about and paintings on the buildings and cobblestones, which is so… _Corona_. Cassandra figures that within another week they'll be hosting a festival for something or other. These people really don't know when to tone it down.

_Well, this ought to shake things up again._ Cassandra removes her hood in one of the alleyways and steps out into the sunlit square.

The controlled chaos of the marketplace abruptly explodes into a very _uncontrolled_ chaos of screaming and running. Cassandra smiles to herself, amused by the pandemonium her mere presence caused. All of the Coronans try to flee, many yelling or screaming, some falling over each other in their panic. Vendors grab as many of their wares as they can carry before taking off, and loads of construction materials fall off of carts into the street as the drivers send their horses running.

"Man I shoulda done this kinda thing years ago," Cassandra says to herself, delighted that the unbearable pep and cheer had disappeared so completely, and that she was so quickly given all the personal space she could want.

As the last of the people flee the square, Cassandra saunters over to one of the abandoned street vendor carts to pick up one of the apples for sale. Taking a bite, she knows that now, all she has to do is wait.

She hopes she doesn't have to wait too long. Surely Rapunzel will come faster this time.

But no, it still takes about five minutes before the princess arrives riding Max, coming from the direction of the castle. Cassandra is sitting leisurely on the edge of the square's fountain when Rapunzel hops off of Max and approaches her.

"Cass," Rapunzel says, looking nervous and flustered, but she quickly composes herself. "I'm so glad you came back," she tells Cassandra with an earnest smile.

Cassandra raises an eyebrow with an unimpressed expression.

"No- really, I am!" Rapunzel protests. "T-there are some things I wanted to tell you, that I should have said better earlier…"

"You paint that?" Cassandra interrupts her, pointing at a nearby wall along the square that's painted with a mural roughly one story high and twice as long. 

Rapunzel glances over at the wall, surprised by Cassandra's interruption. "Oh- well, yeah, but not just me. I asked anyone who would like to join to add their own illustrations to it too, like that mural in the Gallery of the Seven Kingdoms." 

"Looks real nice," Cassandra tells her. 

Rapunzel turns back to her with bright eyes, a huge smile on her face. "You really think so?" She asks hopefully.

"Yeah," Cassandra responds. "Bet it took you a long time to make it."

"Well, it wasn't _that_ long," Rapunzel says, flattered. "Since everyone participated. But we all fixed the wall together, and then we worked together on painting it. Everyone had been feeling so down, I thought it would be really nice to have a unifying effort, y'know? Something we could all do as a team and finish and feel proud of. So we all did it together one morning." Rapunzel looks at the mural and smiles. "I feel like it really represents Corona's bright and enduring spirit-"

Cassandra snaps her fingers and a spike of black rock shoots up from the ground in front of the wall to strike the middle of it, and the wall disintegrates.

Cassandra raises an eyebrow. She didn't expect that it would fall apart so easily. She glances over at Rapunzel to see her reaction, and Rapunzel still has a smile frozen on her face, staring at the pile of rubble that used to be the wall.

After a moment of processing, Rapunzel's face snaps back to look at Cassandra, her eyes glowing entirely gold with a furious expression, her hair falling immediately from its braid to rise around her in glowing strands. 

Cassandra starts to wonder if she'd made a mistake when a lock of animated magic hair shoots towards her to wrap around her ankle. Then she doesn't have much time to think about anything, as she's thrown into the air and goes flying across the city.

Cassandra manages to avoid shattering all of her bones upon impact by summoning some black rocks to grab at as she nears the ground. She lands in a destroyed part of the city south of the front gates, where she and Rapunzel had fought most of their battle before.

Cassandra straightens and brushes dust off of herself, thinking that she'll have to go all the way back towards the main square to continue their fight, which is an annoying interruption. But still, Cassandra can't help smiling to herself at Rapunzel using that new move on her again, and at how effectively her plan worked to provoke Rapunzel into a fight. Now she just needs to get back over there-

Cassandra's thoughts are interrupted as she sees some glowing, gold thing streaking through the sky towards her.

"No wa-" Cassandra starts, and she is smashed into by a very pissed off princess who knocks her backwards into a wall, which falls over from the force of the collision. Cassandra tries to push herself up from the sloped incline of the broken wall and a bare foot stomps onto her breastplate to knock her back down. Glowing gold cracks appear in her armor from the blow, shooting out from where Rapunzel's foot is holding her down.

" _Why would you do that, you **jerk**?!_" Rapunzel yells at her, her eyes still blazing gold.

Cassandra is absolutely losing her mind. Rapunzel can fucking _fly_. Sure, Rapunzel had levitated before, but this was _real flying_. Cassandra is completely stricken by awe. She's not even mad about the broken breastplate.

But also she knows she should do something before Rapunzel's hair rips her limb from limb. So she summons spikes to shoot out at Rapunzel to knock her away - but the black rocks break as soon as they approach Rapunzel's slightly-golden-glowing skin.

" _Well?!_ " Rapunzel roars at her. Cassandra wonders briefly if she should try to recite the Moonstone's incantation for more power, since it seems like Rapunzel's rage had unlocked her full strength somehow, but she certainly can't do that in her current position. So instead she puts her hands down next to her to shoot black rock out of the ground under them, pushing herself upright and knocking Rapunzel back as she stands.

As Rapunzel staggers to regain her balance, Cassandra holds her arm out to materialize a sword. She's about to start the Moonstone incantation when a golden lock of hair whips over to her, both breaking her sword and smacking her backwards again.

"Tell me!" Rapunzel shouts, her eyes finally fading from glowing gold back to their normal, human green. 

Cassandra pushes herself up again. This was more of a challenge than she'd expected. But as she is no coward, she offers a malicious smile and responds, "The mural sucked and I'm glad I broke it."

Rapunzel's expression flickers from shock to rage again, and she lunges towards Cassandra.

But Rapunzel's magic had declined from the overwhelming level that she had started off with - her eyes and skin no longer glow, so Cassandra's rocks don't crumble in her mere presence, and Cassandra is pretty sure Rapunzel's not going to take off into the sky again to throw her across the ocean.

That doesn't mean the fight had become _easy_ , though. Rapunzel's anger seems to give her a spark she hadn't quite had during their previous fight, and Cassandra almost smiles in delight as Rapunzel attacks her with a ferocity that she didn't have last time.

A short while later, Rapunzel destabilizes Cassandra by throwing her hair low to trip up her legs, and while Cassandra is staggering and distracted, she throws another lasso to wrap around Cassandra's torso. Cassandra catches her balance and tries to pull the hair off of her, but with her hands close to her body Rapunzel throws another lasso to secure Cassandra's arms to her sides, and she pulls Cassandra towards her to make her fall over.

Cassandra tries to push herself up with black rocks from the ground, but Rapunzel breaks them before she can stand and Cassandra falls to her knees. Looking up at Rapunzel and baring her teeth in anger, Cassandra summons spikes to try to strike her, but Rapunzel destroys those as well as she walks towards Cassandra.

Stopping in front of her, Rapunzel grabs one of the black rock spikes as it breaks and pulls out a roughly-formed frying pan as the rest of the pieces fall to the ground. She holds the pan under Cassandra's chin. 

"Say you're sorry," Rapunzel commands her, still slightly out of breath.

Cassandra's eyes widen. She's out of ideas, and Rapunzel is entirely in a position to knock her out if she so pleased. _I… lost_ , Cassandra thinks.

"Say you're sorry!" Rapunzel repeats, using her pan to tilt Cassandra's face up towards her.

"Make me," Cassandra snarls, baring her teeth again and pulling her head away from the pan. Knowing she has to get out from Rapunzel's hair somehow she gets an idea, although she's sure she won't be able to do much after using it - if it works.

Closing her eyes and drawing her eyebrows together, she focuses on the gemstone on her chest. Usually her magic would be released in jolts from the stone whenever she wanted in order to summon black rocks, but this time when she draws on her power she holds it close, not creating any rocks, and the Moonstone starts sparking with the buildup of magic. Moments later, when she feels like she can't bear it anymore, she releases the magic all at once in a shockwave out from her body.

Rapunzel's hair is thrown off of her and Rapunzel is knocked back from the blast. Cassandra almost collapses, but she stops herself. "Hhhhjesus fucking Christ," Cassandra breathes. She feels dizzy and fatigued through her entire body, and she suddenly understands very intimately why Rapunzel would always pass out after her shockwaves.

But she pulls herself to her feet. Rapunzel pushes herself up from the ground and looks at Cassandra in surprise. 

"Later, princess," Cassandra says, still completely out of breath. And with that, she turns and bolts towards the city surrounding their battle crater. 

Because there's no way she's about to make any spikes to throw herself over the wall to leave. Her magic - or at least her capacity to use it - is shot for who-knows-how-long. She needs to come up with something else. She hears Rapunzel calling after her, and she's sure Rapunzel won't be far behind her in chase.

So Cassandra ducks through alleyways and, once she's close to a main road and sure she's out of anyone's sight in the shadows, she pulls the hood of her cloak up to disguise herself as a street urchin. Walking out onto the main street with other people around, Cassandra is sure she blends in well enough that Rapunzel won't suspect anything. She slumps against a wall as people walk by and pay her no attention.

"Cass!" Cassandra tries not to jump as she hears Rapunzel's voice coming from the distance, and several moments later Rapunzel runs out from the alleyway Cassandra had just left.

Cassandra watches as Rapunzel whirls around, confusion on her face, looking every which way. "Wha- She was definitely here!" Rapunzel cries. Her gaze stops on Cassandra nearby, and she asks, "Hey, d-did you see a woman with black armor and blue hair anywhere?"

Cassandra swallows nervously. She knows her disguise will change her voice, but she doesn't want to risk it. She shakes her head.

Rapunzel sighs. "Yeah that's- that's what I would guess. Everyone would be freaking out if she came through here." She runs a hand through her hair and rests it on the back of her neck. "I guess I'll- I'll have to look somewhere else." She looks at the ground, exhausted and disappointed. "Oh," Rapunzel continues, looking up at Cassandra. "Thank you for your help. Do you still have a home to go to?" 

Cassandra sweats and nods.

Rapunzel gives her a relieved smile. "That's good. So many families' houses were destroyed... Hey," Rapunzel's hand moves to the purse at her waist, and she pulls out several gold coins. Holding them out towards Cassandra she says, "You should go buy yourself something at the bakery."

Cassandra looks between Rapunzel's hand and her face. She really didn't want to have to interact with Rapunzel physically while trying to maintain her disguise, but she can't see any way out of it, so she puts her hand out and Rapunzel drops the coins into her tiny street urchin hand.

Rapunzel smiles at her again. "You shouldn't feel intimidated around me, okay? I'm just like everyone else." 

_The superpowers and royal bloodline would disagree_ , Cassandra thinks to herself, but she nods again.

Rapunzel takes a deep breath, looking up and around again. And then she turns to dash back into the alleyway, surely to try to figure out some other direction Cassandra might have fled in the twisting network of shadowed paths.

Cassandra waits for a while, still sitting by the city street against a wall, exhausted. She glances down at the coins in her hand. _Well, eating would help restore my strength_ , she admits to herself. So shakily standing, she heads in the direction of the nearest bakery. 

A short while later, Cassandra is walking back across the city's bridge in the form of a farmer again, enjoying a blackberry roll. When she reaches the top of her tower, she's met with a surprise: the very judgemental gaze of a bird who is not paid enough for any of this shit.

"Owl?!" Cassandra cries in shock. He's perched on the edge of one of her large windows looking at her the same way her dad would look at her when she tried to sneak back in after breaking curfew as a teenager. 

She hadn't seen Owl since before she destroyed Corona. For some reason he stopped wanting to hang out with her after that.

"W-what are you doing here?" Cassandra asks him, and he flies gracefully to her shoulder to peck her.

"Ow! Stop!" Cassandra yells at him, shooing him off. "Okay, fine, maybe I deserved that. I know the last time we talked I was trying to reconcile with Rapunzel and make things better…"

Owl lands on a nearby windowsill to resume his judgemental stare.

"...But in my defense, I got really pissed off," Cassandra concludes.

Owl rolls his eyes and hoots at her pointedly.

"Well I don't _want_ to reconcile with Rapunzel anymore," Cassandra tells him, crossing her arms and looking away moodily. 

Owl gives her an extremely are-you-kidding-me hoot.

"She tried to seal me in amber!" Cassandra exclaims, throwing her arms out in front of her. " _And_ she just wants the Moonstone, _and_ she just wants me to do what she says, _and_ -" Cassandra's indignant energy deflates. "And there's no way that she'd want to reconcile with me, anymore." Cassandra takes a deep breath and pulls herself together. "Listen, Zhan Tiri is gone, so Corona is safe. I'm not going to destroy it again. I just want to live my life in a way that makes _me_ happy."

Owl hoots at her incredulously.

"Well, yes, because I've decided that fighting Rapunzel makes me happy," Cassandra answers.

Owl stares at her like she's insane.

"I don't judge you for _your_ interests!" Cassandra cries at the bird. "I just- I've decided that I'm not going to compromise who I am or what I want anymore. Not for Rapunzel, not for Zhan Tiri, not for my dad, not for _anyone_." Cassandra turns away from him, crossing her arms again. "It's fine if you don't agree. You don't have to hang out with me." 

Cassandra doesn't realize how badly she hopes Owl will stay with her until she feels him land on her shoulder, and she's hit with a wave of relief so intense tears almost spring to her eyes.

Internally pulling herself together, Cassandra tells him, "Well, that's good because I wanted to workshop some one-liners for when I make my dramatic entrances." Owl sighs and rolls his eyes as Cassandra continues: "I mean, it'll usually depend on where I show up to fight, but I have a couple that are flexible..."


	3. renovation

Rapunzel has no success in her hunt for Cassandra. She searches every alleyway accessible from the path she'd seen Cassandra run down, and then she checks main streets for signs of mass panic that would indicate Cassandra's presence - all to no avail. She never thought she'd be disappointed not to hear her people screaming in terror.

She's wearily walking back up the city's main road when Max and Pascal find her, and she rides back towards the castle with them.

"Rapunzel!" Eugene calls to her immediately as she enters the courtyard. He helps her dismount and, after checking that she's not injured, walks with her to one of the castle's sitting rooms where Lance is playing board games with Angry and Catalina. 

As Rapunzel collapses on a couch, Angry hops up from her seat, asking, "So? How did it go? Did you tell her how you feel?"

Rapunzel rubs the back of her neck. "Well, I tried," she starts.

"Did she not listen to you?" Catalina asks with sad eyes.

"Well- no, it's not that, I just… didn't manage to tell her anything," Rapunzel answers.

"She attacked you before you could try to talk?" Eugene questions.

"Er- well," Rapunzel says awkwardly. "Not… exactly." She takes a deep breath. "It was like this: me and Max and Pascal rode down to the main square, and Cass was sitting by the fountain. So I leave Pascal with Max and I go over to try to talk to her, but before I can say anything she points at the Unity and Enduring Spirit of the Coronan People mural-"

"Still think the name is a bit of a mouthful," Lance says to Eugene in an aside.

"And she starts asking me about it. Like, if I painted it, and how long it took-" 

"Huh, that's friendly," Eugene notes.

"That's what I thought! So I tell her about how we all made it together, and she says it looks really nice. And I'm thinking 'oh my gosh, this is great, this is such a nice conversation we're having, and she's being so friendly' but then she snaps her fingers and makes spikes that _destroy the mural!_ "

"Oof," Lance comments. "Shoulda seen that comin'."

"And then she attacked you?" Eugene asks.

"...Um," Rapunzel says. "Not… exactly."

At her company's blank stares, Rapunzel sighs and explains, "Well, I got mad." 

"... _You_ attacked _her?!_ " Eugene cries.

"She just made me so mad!" Rapunzel says in distress. "It's like she specifically checked to make sure that the mural was important to me before breaking it. Like, who _does_ that?!"

"Possibly the woman who destroyed your kingdom like two weeks ago," Lance suggests.

"Well, what happened with the fight?" Eugene asks. "Did she beat you again and just run off?"

"No… it was kind of weird," Rapunzel answers, her eyebrows drawing together as she tries to recall it. "I can't really remember the start of it. I was so mad when she broke the mural, so I think my hair grabbed her and threw her again. But then I thought, she can't get off that easy, and I want her to tell me why she'd do that. But I don't remember how I got back over to her-"

Pascal chatters at her and hops onto the table in front of the couch.

"Oooh, charades," Lance says, delighted, as Pascal starts to change colors and strike poses.

"A seagull!" Angry guesses.

"A shooting star!" Catalina offers. 

Lance snaps. "The power of love," he says confidently.

"...I'm sorry, are you saying she _flew?!_ " Eugene says in disbelief, and Pascal returns to his regular green and nods.

"What?!" Rapunzel cries. "Pascal, are you _sure?_ "

He nods again, and then he turns himself entirely gold with flickers of lighter yellow shooting around, mimicking Rapunzel's hair.

Rapunzel has to take a moment to process this. "I can't believe…"

"I mean, considering all the other things you can do, it's not THAT unrealistic," Eugene notes.

"...that I can't remember it!" Rapunzel cries in dismay. "I FLY for the first time since I was turned into a _literal bird_ , and I don't remember?! That's so unfair!"

"Get back to the fight!" Angry interrupts. "What happened next?! C'mon, we're at the edge of our seats!" 

Rapunzel looks over at Angry and Catalina who are, in fact, on the edge of their seats. "Right, okay," Rapunzel says. "So I guess I FLY over to her, and I keep trying to get her to tell me why she broke the mural. Then she tells me that she thought the mural sucked and that she was _glad_ she broke it, and she looked so _pleased_ with herself. So I get super mad again and we fight, and eventually I get her all wrapped up in my hair and I'm holding a frying pan at her and I tell her to say that she's sorry for breaking it-"

"Wow, hearing about your fight is a lot more interesting than hearing about you two talking about your feelings," Angry interjects. 

"-And then she sends out a _shockwave_ that knocks me over and pushes my hair away from her, and she takes off!" Rapunzel finishes.

"Did she fly too?" Catalina asks seriously, leaning forward.

"No, she just ran," Rapunzel answers. "Really fast. And I chased after her, but I lost her in the alleyways. I looked everywhere for her, but she just… vanished."

"Must've left because she knew she lost," Lance says. 

"I just… I don't understand what the point of it all was," Rapunzel sighs. "Causing a scene in the marketplace, breaking the mural, taunting me…?"

"It seems like she was trying to provoke you into a fight again," Eugene says.

"Yeah, and she knows exactly how to do that," Rapunzel responds. "But _why?_ "

"I think she just wants to fight you for fun," Lance tells her. "Like, if she wanted anything else from you, she would've demanded it or taken it already. But instead it seems like she just wants to fight you until a standstill where one of you has won, like a wrestling match." 

"I think..." Rapunzel takes a deep breath. "I think you might be right," she admits. She looks out towards the window in thought. "There was this part of the fight... I had just knocked her down and I was still so angry and my hair was all glowing and floaty, and she gave me this look of..."

"Rage?" Eugene asks.

"Glee?" Lance suggests.

"Bloodlust?!" Angry says excitedly.

"Awe," Rapunzel answers. "She had this look on her face like she was just completely floored and amazed, the kind of look she used to give something like a display of _really_ nice swords. It was- it was the closest to regular Cass that I've seen in a while," Rapunzel says, looking down.

"Well, that settles it," Lance tells her. "She wants to wrestle you with magic powers." 

Rapunzel puts a hand to her head. "But- but why doesn't she just tell me that?! Instead of talking to me, she keeps breaking things and threatening me!" 

"Maybe she's too shy to ask," Catalina suggests.

"But not too shy to destroy parts of my city?!" Rapunzel cries. "I just- I still don't understand."

"Well, not making sense is a bit of a Cassandra special," Eugene comments.

"It's possible that breaking things around here is a bonus to her," Lance suggests. "Like, what if she's still mad at you and Corona, so besides wanting to have a grand old time wrestling she also wants to take her anger out by breaking things?"

"But hasn't she hasn't broken enough of Corona _already?_ " Rapunzel asks, and she groans. "I'd so much rather just talk everything out," she says, collapsing back against the couch again.

"Well, maybe if you fight her a bunch, she'll have enough fun with you that she will want to talk things out," Catalina says.

Lance chuckles. "Yeah princess, you just gotta beat Cass up enough that she'll want to be friends with you again."

"That is- okay, I know I'm not the resident expert on interpersonal relationships, but that is _completely backwards_ , right?" Rapunzel says in dismay. "Like, usually people want you to be _nice_ to them in order to become friends or make up."

"Oh absolutely," Eugene responds. "This is totally insane. I never thought I'd say this, but Zhan Tiri could be right. Maybe Cass is a lunatic."

"She's not a lunatic," Rapunzel insists.

"Oh yeah? Then how would you describe her?" Lance asks, chuckling.

"She's..." Rapunzel starts, pensively. "A lost soul crying out for help," she says, looking towards the window.

"Okay yeah now describe her with one word," Eugene responds, unimpressed.

"I mean it you guys," Rapunzel says, standing from the couch. "Cass is _not_ a lunatic. I get that her methods are... unconventional… and maybe a bit disproportionate... but if we're right about all this, then this is a pretty rational reaction to her situation."

"Maybe she's a lunatic too," Lance says in an aside to Eugene, pointing at Rapunzel behind his hand.

"She's mad so she breaks things, and she likes fighting so she challenges me," Rapunzel says. "It _does_ make sense. And I've got to tell her that I understand, that I want to work with her…" Rapunzel frowns in thought. "Maybe we can schedule some fights…" 

"I don't know about that, princess," Angry tells her. "If she's mad at you too, then part of the fun of fighting you has got to be from knowing she's riling you up. If you try to put her in a box, she won't react well."

"Angry's right," Lance says.

Rapunzel bites her lip. "Then… what am I supposed to do?" She asks, throwing her arms out and looking around at her friends. "Just _let_ Cassandra show up whenever she wants and interrupt my schedule and break things?"

"Well, I think the idea is that you fight her to stop her from breaking things," Catalina notes.

"But that's a yes on the first two things," Lance says.

Rapunzel drags her hands down her face. "Okay, okay," she says. "Let's think." She starts to pace. "So… it's possible Cassandra will show up again because she wants to fight me. She'll break things to provoke me. But if I start fighting her quickly, she won't break things-"

"We think," Eugene interjects.

"-but our fights are so destructive, I can't just fight her _anywhere_ ," Rapunzel says. "It has to be a place where we can cause damage to the surroundings without a problem."

"There's plenty of open space on the mainland," Lance notes.

"But that's so far away," Rapunzel says, biting her lip again. "Since I'm usually here in the city, this is where she'll show up." Rapunzel looks out the window again in thought, and in the distance she can see the several-block radius of completely demolished structures south of the front gate where they had fought the majority of their last two battles. 

"I have an idea," she says.

🗡♡🗡♡🗡♡🗡

"So, _this_ will be the CEZ," Rapunzel says, wrapping yarn around a small section of the scale model of Corona city that sits in the center of the castle's strategy room.

"The what?" Eugene asks in a deadpan.

"The Cassandra Exclusion Zone," Rapunzel responds. "C. E. Z. It's the part of the city where we won't bother to make any repairs, because that's where Cassandra and I will have our fights."

"This is insane. This is off the walls-" Eugene starts, putting a hand to his forehead, but Lance is laughing.

"I love it, princess," he says. "Hey Eugene, you better behave or you're gonna get thrown in the CEZ."

"I wanna hang out in the CEZ!" Angry cheers.

"No, _no one_ is allowed to go into the CEZ," Rapunzel scolds. "It's dangerous. Even when Cass and I aren't fighting, there are all sorts of unstable buildings there that could collapse on someone."

"So what happens when Cass doesn't want to fight you there, and she'd rather stick around the castle because she's an unstable lunatic?" Eugene asks.

"Not a lunatic," Rapunzel corrects him. "And I'll… have to be creative. And probably get really, really good at throwing things with my hair."

🗡♡🗡♡🗡♡🗡

"Listen, I know I might be biased, but I thought your plan for Cassandra was kicking the crap out of her," Eugene says, standing in Rapunzel's room and looking at her easel. "So _why_ are you making her a painting?"

"I haven't _completely_ given up on the Rapunzel way of doing things," Rapunzel answers. "Cass may want to fight me, but I still want to show her I care."

"So you're gonna beat her up and then hand her a cutesy painting of the two of you holding hands?" Eugene asks dryly.

"Well…" Rapunzel stalls, reaching forward with her paintbrush to make a small swipe at the canvas. "Maybe." 

"This is completely-" Eugene starts, but he's interrupted by the sound of something thudding into Rapunzel's window. 

They both start and look over just in time to see Owl picking himself back up from the windowsill and leaning forward to tap on the glass with his beak.

"Owl!" Rapunzel cries in delight, and she rushes to the window to let him inside. He ruffles his feathers for a moment while Rapunzel says, "I haven't seen you since you were helping Pascal scope out the castle before the eclipse! Where have you been?"

"Hoo," Owl answers, a completely incomprehensible response that offers no information to Rapunzel as he is a bird who cannot speak.

"Well, it's great to see you," Rapunzel says, smiling at him. "We were just talking about Cass, actually-"

"Hoo," Owl says again, nodding. He flies into the air and points with one talon back out the window. 

Rapunzel looks where he's pointing, and she can barely make out Cassandra's black rock tower on the mainland. "Wait- are you saying Cass is in her tower?"

"Hoo," Owl affirms, nodding. 

"Does she want to talk to me?" Rapunzel asks as Owl lands back on the windowsill.

"...Hoo," Owl responds, putting his wings out in front of him like hands and shrugging his shoulders.

"Alright that was weird the first time you did it, and it's weird again now," Eugene observes.

"Do you think I should go talk to her?" Rapunzel asks.

"H-hoo..?" Owl responds, bobbing his head around in a noncommittal way.

"Good enough!" Rapunzel cheers, and she turns to grab the painting off her easel. "Eugene, I'm going to go talk to Cassandra."

"If you don't come back in 45 minutes I'm sending the entire royal guard over there," Eugene tells her wearily.

"Fine by me!" Rapunzel calls merrily, striding out the door. "You'll find us hugging!"

Eugene glances at Owl. "Make sure she's alright for me, would you?" 

"Hoo," Owl agrees, and he flies back out the window. 

🗡♡🗡♡🗡♡🗡

Rapunzel frowns as she approaches the base of the tower. "Hm, ' _Go away_ '," she reads out loud. Glancing down at Pascal she says, "Well, surely that doesn't mean _me_ , it's for other people."

Pascal squeaks and points at the wall. Rapunzel looks back at it, and squints at smaller text underneath that she hadn't noticed. ' _That means you, Rapunzel._ '

"Well," Rapunzel says, looking at Pascal again. "That might be about a different Rapunzel."

Pascal points at the wall again, and Rapunzel leans forward to read the even smaller text under that. ' _Specifically princess Rapunzel der Sonne, heir to the Coronan Royal Family._ '

"Well I'm just gonna pretend I didn't see that," Rapunzel says, looking at Pascal and flicking a wrist to explode a hole in the wall.

Pascal chatters at her as she walks into the tower. "Huh?" Rapunzel asks. "What boundary issues?"

🗡♡🗡♡🗡♡🗡

"Come on, it would be _so cool_ ," Cassandra begs, holding out the Moonstone shard. "We would match! Don't you want superpowers?"

Owl glares at her, unimpressed, his eyebrows in a flat line. 

"Hello? Cass, you home?"

Cassandra jumps at hearing the voice echoing from behind her, and she slaps the shard back in place as she whirls around in time to see Rapunzel walk into her throne chamber.

"Rapunzel!" Cassandra cries, flustered. "Wh-what are you doing here? Didn't you see the sign?!" 

"Sign? What sign?" Rapunzel asks cluelessly. 

Cassandra squints at her. "How the hell did you get in here?"

"There was a… hole in the wall, near the ground," Rapunzel says. "I don't know how it got there, but you should probably patch that up, you'll get raccoons."

"Rapunzel," Cassandra starts, irritated. "You're the only person who can break the black rocks."

"...That we know of."

"Who the fuck just comes up to someone's house and _breaks_ things?" Cassandra asks in disbelief.

Rapunzel's eyelid twitches before she takes a deep breath and walks further into the room, saying, "Listen Cass, I'm here to-" She cuts off as she looks around. "Okay, _what_ is the deal with the interior design in here? Do you seriously not have _any_ furniture?"

"What the hell does that look like," Cassandra asks, gesturing to the spiked throne.

"I have walked through several rooms looking for you and I have not managed to find a _single_ bed, or table, or anything," Rapunzel says.

"It's called _minimalism_. We don't all collect useless junk like damn crows, princess."

"A bed isn't useless junk!" Rapunzel cries. "Where do you _sleep?_ "

"Did you just come here to interrogate my living habits?" Cassandra growls.

Rapunzel sighs. "No, Cass, I'm here to- I'm sorry I can't get over this. Can I _bring_ you a bed?"

"I don't need your help!" Cassandra shouts. "You're- you're just jealous!"

"Jealous of _what?_ " Rapunzel responds incredulously. 

"Jealous that I made this _kickass tower_ that's a million times better than yours ever was! Your tower was _lame as hell_."

Rapunzel stares at Cassandra at a complete loss for a moment. "Why do you make it so hard to be nice to you?!" She finally yells in disbelief.

"I never asked you to be nice to me!" Cassandra shouts back angrily.

"It's what _friends do!_ "

"Well it's a good thing we're _not friends!_ "

" _Aaarrrgghhh_ ," Rapunzel growls, and then she turns around and takes a deep breath to compose herself while Pascal pats her cheek encouragingly. "Get it together Rapunzel," she says to herself. "You've gotta fight this, you gotta be the bigger person." She turns back to Cassandra. "Listen Cass," she starts again, earnestly. "I'm here to-" 

"Fight?" Cassandra asks, materializing a sword. "Did you say fight?"

Owl hoots and slims with surprise behind Cassandra, and Rapunzel's eyes widen in alarm. "N _o Cass I am not here to fight-_ "

"You came to challenge me to a fight?!" Cassandra yells, pointing at her with the sword.

"I'm here to try to-!" Rapunzel starts, but she's cut off by Cassandra lunging at her. 

"I'm not here to fight you!" Rapunzel shouts again, dodging. 

"Too bad!" Cassandra yells, swinging her sword around to try to hit her. "My tower my rules! You come here, we fight!"

"Okay- okay fine! Fine, then I'm leaving!" Rapunzel cries, holding her hands up.

Cassandra stops in her tracks. "Ugh, that's lame," she responds, lowering the sword. 

"But you can't stop me from being nice!" Rapunzel says aggressively. "So before I leave I'm going to give you this THOUGHTFUL GIFT," she continues angrily, pulling out the painting she made for Cassandra and shoving it towards her.

"I'm just gonna destroy it!" Cassandra yells back at her as Rapunzel walks out of the room.

"Do whatever makes you happy!" Rapunzel shouts angrily, looking over her shoulder. "I cherish you and want nothing more than your happiness!"

" _Fine!_ "

" _ **Fine!**_ "

With Rapunzel gone, Cassandra unrolls the canvas she had shoved into her hands. It's a painting of Rapunzel with long blonde hair and Cassandra with blue hair holding hands and smiling, surrounded by Rapunzel's trademark vines and flowers with Pascal and Owl by their sides. Underneath them, "Friends forever" is written in cursive.

"Hoo," Owl comments, landing on her shoulder and looking at the painting. 

"This is some kind of… psychological warfare," Cassandra says, squinting at it. "She doesn't mean it."

Owl sighs.

🗡♡🗡♡🗡♡🗡

"And it is with great pleasure that I re- _re_ introduce to you-" Rapunzel cuts the ribbon in front of the building with a big smile, "Attila the Bun's cupcakes!" 

The assembled Coronans cheer and Rapunzel steps aside from the propped-open door, letting people rush into the newly-re-reopened business.

"Thank you, Rapunzel," Attila says as they step inside, where people are already sitting at the bakery's indoor seating to enjoy free samples. "This makes me so happy."

"Of course!" Rapunzel responds cheerfully. "I'm sorry it took so long to finish repairs."

"It's not a problem," Attila tells her, his deep voice echoing in his helmet. "I know it was more important to focus on peoples' homes. Besides, since Monty's Sweet Shop had no damage, there was plenty I could do over there and I learned a lot. I've got this great idea for combining a cupcake and a lollipop, I think I'll call it a cake pop-"

"Nice shop," a cold voice interrupts them from the door, and Rapunzel's head snaps around to see Cassandra leaning against the open doorway while people gasp in fear. "Although, I can't say I like the interior design," she continues, and she straightens with a malicious smile and raises her hands in front of her. "How about I give it a renova- _oof!_ "

Rapunzel had slammed into Cassandra from a dead run, and they go tumbling out onto the street.

"If you want to fight me, you're gonna have to catch me!" Rapunzel yells at Cassandra as she pushes herself off of her. And with that, she takes off down the street. 

"What the-" Cassandra starts, and then she scrambles to her feet to follow.

Rapunzel hears screams behind her as the Coronans out on the street she's running down spot Cassandra. Rapunzel looks over her shoulder to make sure that Cassandra isn't summoning any spikes or terrorizing anyone, and she's not - she's also getting closer. 

"You know I'm faster than you!" Cassandra shouts.

"Yeah, I know!" Rapunzel answers, and then she takes a hard turn into an alley, knocking over a stack of barrels as she runs past to make them fall into the path.

_Hopefully that just slows her down instead of making her decide to stop chasing me and cause mayhem somewhere else_ , Rapunzel thinks.

But her plan worked. As she exits the other side of the alleyway, she looks back to see Cassandra jumping over the barrels in pursuit. 

_Now I just need to get to the CEZ_ , Rapunzel thinks. _This is gonna be a long run…_

But Rapunzel has a great deal of energy and endurance, and she has many tricks to slow Cassandra down - so she manages to reach her destination. 

_I can't believe that worked_ , she thinks, looking behind her as she runs deeper into the CEZ and Cassandra reaches the edge. _Cass didn't even use any spikes or anything to try to stop me or catch up-_

Rapunzel's thoughts are interrupted as huge spikes burst out of the ground in front of her, cornering her. 

_Well, I was asking for that._

"Stop-" Cassandra breathes heavily as she approaches. "Fucking running what the fuck."

Rapunzel's trying to catch her breath as well, but that doesn't stop her from speaking cheerfully as she turns around. "Okay! Well, you caught me. Congrats!"

Cassandra squints at her. "What- what the fuck was that about?!"

"Mmmmnothing," Rapunzel answers. "But if you're tired and don't want to fight right now after all that running, we could just sit while we get our energy back, maybe talk a little-"

"I see your game, princess." Cassandra growls, glaring at her. She holds a hand out and grabs a sword that shoots from the ground. "And absolutely not."

Even though Rapunzel knew it wouldn't work, she can't help letting out a small sigh when Cassandra lunges at her.

"Did you like the painting I gave you?" Rapunzel asks after dodging, as she throws her hair to wrap around Cassandra's wrist and yank her off balance.

Cassandra catches herself and shakes the hair off as she throws her other arm up to shoot spikes out of the ground at Rapunzel. "I thought the composition could use work and the subject matter is unrealistic."

"Well, you know I like to make art from my dreams!" Rapunzel replies as she jumps from the spikes and twists with her hair in her hands to swipe beams of energy at Cassandra. 

Cassandra summons an X of spikes from the ground as a shield to take Rapunzel's attack. "More like a nightmare." She retaliates by trying to smash Rapunzel between huge rocks she summons.

Rapunzel surrounds herself with her hair and explodes the rocks as they close in on her. "You know, I've told you this before but I'll never stop trying to get through to you!"

"And I'll never stop trying to shut you up!" Cassandra yells, using a column of black rock to strike Rapunzel from the side at a diagonal that launches her a short distance.

Rapunzel gasps in excitement as she pushes herself up. "Does that mean you want to stick around forever?" 

"Ugh! Stop talking!" Cassandra yells, and Rapunzel has to destroy a huge line of spikes shooting out of the ground towards her.

Rapunzel tries to get Cassandra to talk to her more, but she seems single mindedly focused on the fight now. But despite her focus, Rapunzel eventually manages to get close enough to tackle her, and they fall backwards onto the ground. Cassandra pushes back against Rapunzel's hands trying to pin her wrists to the ground on either side of her, and recognizing that Cassandra is physically stronger, Rapunzel uses her animated hair to wrap around Cassandra's wrists as well to hold her down. 

Snarling, Cassandra summons black rock spikes to try to strike Rapunzel off of her - but Rapunzel pulls enough magic from within herself to break every spike as it approaches, as well as all the black rock that Cassandra tries to pull up from under herself to stand and push Rapunzel away. 

That doesn't stop Cassandra from trying, though. She roars as she summons more and more black rocks, and Rapunzel has to draw on more and more of her power to break them, and the ground all around them turns into a deeper and deeper crater as it breaks apart from black rock shooting through it and getting blown up.

Rapunzel already had felt fatigued from the marathon it took just to _get_ to their fight. But after exchanging blows and now drawing on so much of her magic, Rapunzel's not sure how much longer she can keep up with Cassandra, and she hopes that Cassandra will give up soon.

Rapunzel's last thought before losing consciousness is how glad she is to see Cassandra so close up, something she's desperately missed.

🗡♡🗡♡🗡♡🗡

Cassandra does not expect Rapunzel to collapse on top of her.

She stops summoning rocks, she's so startled. "What the-"

The locks of magic hair that had been holding her wrists down dropped as soon as Rapunzel did. No longer psychically restrained, Cassandra is able to move her hands - but her body is still crushed under Rapunzel's.

"Hey, princess," Cassandra says, shaking Rapunzel's shoulder. Her head fell next to Cassandra's neck, and Cassandra can feel her soft breaths.

Cassandra's face burns, and she gets no response. "Hey," she says again, trying to ignore the warmth at her neck and shaking Rapunzel more roughly. 

No response. Cassandra blows a curl from her face as she realizes that Rapunzel must have passed out - presumably from the magic use. Cassandra considers the best way to get out from under her. It certainly doesn't help that they're in a crater.

Cassandra figures she could lift them out with her rocks from underneath, and she makes a face thinking that she'll have to put her arms around Rapunzel to keep her steady while she does that.

"Stupid princess," Cassandra mutters to herself as she summons rocks slowly from under them, still crushed under Rapunzel's weight with her arms around her. Back above grade, she uses her rocks to sit up, maneuvering Rapunzel onto her lap and then onto the ground. 

Cassandra gives an exasperated sigh looking at Rapunzel and her no-longer-supernaturally-glowing blonde hair everywhere. She brushes a strand from Rapunzel's face before leaning over to try shaking her shoulders again. "C'mon, wake up," Cassandra tells her, to no avail.

Cassandra sits back, blowing air through her lips as she considers what to do. She won, so there's no reason to stick around. But she can't just _leave_ Rapunzel here. Even knowing that she wouldn't be in danger - everyone around here loves her so damn much, if anyone finds her they'd get help - it just feels… wrong. 

She also doesn't want to wait around until Rapunzel _does_ wake up. For one thing, she doesn't know how long it would take, and for another, it'd definitely be awkward. What would she even say?

Cassandra frowns while considering other options. She could carry Rapunzel out of this destroyed part of the city to hand her off to a guard, or walk her up to the castle to drop her off directly.

This feels promising. She wouldn't have to interact with Rapunzel, but she also wouldn't be haunted by guilt by abandoning her. Cassandra nods to herself. She cannot think of a downside. Truly a perfect plan.

She frowns at the unconscious princess in front of her, who looks as though she's asleep. Cassandra's eyebrows draw together, thinking about how she hasn't seen Rapunzel looking so peaceful and unstressed in a long time. 

"Awful," Cassandra says out loud. "Terrible. She _should_ be stressed in my presence." 

Cassandra squints at her while considering some way she could make Rapunzel stressed while unconscious, but she can't think of anything.

"I'll make her extra stressed next time I see her," Cassandra decides.

She's about to lean forward to pick up Rapunzel, but it occurs to her that it'll be an enormous hassle to carry her with all seventy feet of hair dragging along behind. She lets out a small exasperated sigh as she realizes she'll have to braid it all up, and she summons a comb out of black rock.

Luckily she's very good and quick at this, since she's done it hundreds of times. But unable to find any of Rapunzel's pins or hair ties, she has to make her own out of black rock to hold everything in place. Not terribly creative, she just makes copies of the ones Rapunzel used during the duration of their journey, since she's familiar with them - and she has a small crisis deciding whether or not to include the little decorative bird on the top pin.

She decides to, but she gives the bird little angry eyebrows so Rapunzel doesn't start getting any ideas.

Finally she has all of Rapunzel's ridiculous hair in place. "Alright, let's go princess," Cassandra mutters, scooping her up. She figures it'll just be most straightforward to bring Rapunzel directly to the castle. She starts walking.

🗡♡🗡♡🗡♡🗡

"Y'know, what people _don't_ expect is how much the precise temperature comes into play. You get people saying, 'oh it's hot cocoa, you just heat up the milk and melt the chocolate in' and then they go and overheat it and then they're like, 'what? Why doesn't this taste good?'" Varian rambles out in the castle courtyard.

"I must say kid, you really know your stuff. I mean, this is the best hot cocoa I've ever had," Eugene tells him. "Hey if the science thing doesn't work out, you could be a barista." 

"This _is_ science," Varian responds. "Besides the temperature application, you also have to take into account the precise measurements of chocolate, cocoa powder, sugar, bit of vanilla extract, and salt - _and_ , you have to mix them in at the right times."

"No," Eugene says in disbelief. "Salt?" 

" _Salt_ ," Varian replies confidently. "Just a tiny bit, but it makes the flavors really pop. And don't even get me started on cinnamon. If you put in just a- _oh my God **SHE KILLED THE PRINCESS!**_ "

Eugene's head snaps around to look where Varian is pointing in horror, and he sees Cassandra walk through the courtyard gates carrying Rapunzel's body.

The mug drops from his hand as Eugene feels himself go cold. This is something directly from his nightmares. He's frozen in place, not even knowing what orders to shout or actions to take. Varian is stuttering incoherently next to him.

Cassandra keeps walking over. "Here," she says, holding Rapunzel out towards him. When he doesn't move, she asks, "What?" while looking between their horror-stricken expressions.

The cold that had overtaken Eugene is replaced instantaneously with burning rage. "What have you done?!" He shouts, drawing his sword to point at Cassandra's neck.

"You killed her!" Varian finally manages to cry out again. 

"What?" Cassandra asks again. "Oh, I get it. This looks really bad, huh." 

" _You'll pay for this, you mons-_ " Eugene starts. 

"Calm down captain hair gel, she's fine," Cassandra interrupts nonchalantly. "She passed out. Over-exerted herself, probably." She holds Rapunzel out towards him again. "Are you gonna take this or not?" 

Eugene's eyes widen and Rapunzel stirs in Cassandra's arms. "What-" she starts, groggily, and then lifts her head to look around.

She sees Cassandra, Eugene, and a sword over her - Cassandra very close, and Eugene slightly farther with his arm extended to point the sword at Cassandra. Putting a hand to her head, Rapunzel starts to ask, "what" again before she is unceremoniously dropped.

" _Oof_ ," she says instead, luckily landing on a soft pile of her braided hair. 

"Well, that's your problem now," Cassandra says to Eugene. Glancing down at Rapunzel she adds, "I won, princess."

"Blondie!" Eugene cries in relief as Varian cheers, "Rapunzel!"

"H-huh?" Rapunzel asks, still not quite with it while Eugene kneels down immediately to pull her into a hug. 

"We thought you were dead," Varian explains.

"Don't scare me like that again," Eugene says, pulling away from her. 

" _What is going on?_ " Rapunzel can finally ask, and she looks around seeking Cassandra, who is walking back towards the courtyard gates. 

Eugene follows her gaze and scowls at Cassandra's back. "Hey," he says sharply. "What the hell is your problem, Cassandra?!"

Cassandra doesn't answer or look back, and Rapunzel's memories of what happened start to come back to her. "Wait- Eugene, it's okay. I- I used too much magic and I must have passed out. Cass… brought me home…?"

Rapunzel looks around again in shock. She's in the castle courtyard. Moving one of her hands to try to push herself up further, she feels her large braid of hair. 

"And she… put my hair up…?" Rapunzel adds, looking behind her at the woven locks.

Rapunzel turns back towards Cassandra to say - she's not ever sure what. "Thank you"? "Why"? - but Cassandra has disappeared beyond the courtyard walls.


	4. concerns

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm so glad that people are enjoying this story! I'm having a lot of fun with it. There are many parts of the outline that I'm rabid to get to because I think they're hilarious and I'm so excited about it. 
> 
> If the very brief exchange in this chapter about the Saporian memory wand reads weirdly, it's because it's making a joke about one of my other fics. I'm sure only like, three people who've read the other story will appreciate it, but I kept it in anyway. Sorry lol
> 
> Thank you to everyone who's left kudos or comments on this fic. I really like reading about what parts and jokes people find funny! It makes me happy :)

"You want to what?" Eugene asks incredulously.

"Train. I have to train." Rapunzel says, standing in her bedroom and putting her fist in her hand. "It's become clear the more we fight that Cassandra has a _huge_ advantage over me being a trained warrior. Sure, I can use my magic to keep up, but this last fight has proven that won't always work." 

"If you want to level the playing field, I could give you some alchemy orbs to use," Varian offers. "Like the amber solution to immobilize her, or some sticky substance to slow her down."

Rapunzel puts a hand to her chin in thought. "That would definitely help," she begins, "but it might end up making Cass mad, considering the first time we used the amber on her. I'm not sure I'm willing to risk making her _actually_ mad, when the goal is for her to have fun fighting me."

"You're putting a lot of thought into making the lunatic who destroyed Corona happy," Eugene notes dryly.

"Not a lunatic," Rapunzel corrects. "She's our friend, and this method of getting through to her is _working_. Do you see this?" She asks, holding up the bird hair pin.

Eugene squints at it. "An angry bird?"

"She brought me home when I passed out, _and_ she put my hair up, _and_ she made me a bird pin," Rapunzel tells him. "Do you think she would have done this a few weeks ago? Absolutely not. Our fights are making us closer. She's given me a _gift_."

Eugene frowns. "It seems like you're getting a lot of ideas from one little pin."

" _This little pin means more than you could possibly imagine_ ," Rapunzel says intensely. "It represents our friendship taking off to new heights," she continues, holding it close to her and looking towards the sky outside her window longingly.

"Yeah okay," Eugene responds dryly. "Then what's the deal with the angry eyebrows?"

"They're not _angry_ eyebrows," Rapunzel explains. "They're like Owl's! He's not angry all the time, it's just how his feathers look. There are plenty of birds like that. Like male blue-gray gnatcatchers."

"Yeah I bet Cass was thinking about male blue-gray gnatcatchers when she was making it," Eugene tells her.

"I think Rapunzel's right," Varian says, taking a mug of hot cocoa delivered by Ruddiger and offering it to her. "Well, I don't know about the pin thing, but there's definitely been improvement with Cass. Last month she was singing about making all her rivals fall and taking everything she wants and then she destroyed Corona, so this is definitely a step up from all that." 

"Wait, did you say sing?" Eugene asks.

" _See_ Eugene? The plan is working. Now I just need to keep improving to keep her interested," Rapunzel says. "Which is why I have to train. Wow, this hot cocoa is amazing," she adds, beaming at Varian.

"This all still feels totally absurd," Eugene says. "Surely there are better ways to handle her. Like… what if we used that Saporian memory wand on her? Take away her memories back to before our journey to the Dark Kingdom. Make her go back to normal."

"What?" Rapunzel asks in shock. "You mean _mess with her mind?_ "

Eugene shrugs. "Well, why not?" 

"Because- because that's awful!" Rapunzel tells him. "You can't just _manipulate_ someone like that, Eugene, it's a total violation of their personal autonomy." 

"Yeah, that's pretty messed up," Varian says.

"You'd have to be like, a total _psychopath_ to do something like that," Rapunzel continues.

Eugene puts his hands up in front of him. "Okay, okay, I get it!" 

"So, who are you going to ask to train you?" Varian asks Rapunzel. 

Rapunzel glances out her window towards the mainland. "The best man for the job." She looks back at her friends. "The man who trained Cassandra."

🗡♡🗡♡🗡♡🗡

"The captain's living in Old Corona now," Rapunzel tells Eugene as the two of them head down towards the stables. "He had a place here in the capital, but then he decided that he wanted a quieter life in the country after spending so long in the bustling city catching criminals and doing paperwork."

"You know, you don't have to call him the captain anymore now that he's retired," Eugene notes. 

"I… I know…" Rapunzel says slowly. "But… okay-" she stops and looks down the hallway in both directions to make sure it's empty before continuing quietly. "Can I tell you a secret?"

"Of course," Eugene says, similarly stopping and lowering his voice.

Rapunzel takes a deep breath. "I don't actually know the captain's name."

"You don't?!" Eugene cries in a hushed tone.

"I know, I know!" Rapunzel says. "I have no idea how it's possible, but I don't think I've ever heard it, and I've known him for so long that I can't just ASK. _Please_ tell me what it is." 

"Well this is extremely awkward because _I don't know either_ ," Eugene expresses in dismay. 

"What?!" 

"Literally, I spent an entire afternoon after I was appointed the new captain looking through his office for _any_ evidence of his name," Eugene tells her. "But in every single report he's in, he's just called 'the captain', and for every single thing he's signed, it's completely illegible."

"Oh my God," Rapunzel whispers.

"It's like the guy's name is a state secret," Eugene continues.

"It can't be a state secret because I learned all of Corona's state secrets when I took over as temporary queen and I _still_ don't know it," Rapunzel answers.

"This is going to be so awkward," Eugene groans, and he puts his hand to his forehead in stress. "Hey, wait," he says, lowering his hand. "What if we just call him Mr. Last Name?"

Rapunzel tilts her head in confusion, and Eugene elaborates: "I mean, I don't know his last name, but you do. It'd be the same as Cassandra's. We can just call him Mr. Cassandra's Last Name."

Rapunzel bites her lip and doesn't respond.

"...You don't know Cassandra's last name?!" Eugene cries.

"It never came up!" Rapunzel defends herself.

"You spent every day with her for _two years!_ "

"And it never came up!"

"What are we going to do," Eugene says in despair. "You know, after checking his office didn't work, I was so desperate I even asked Stan and Pete what his name is. And they looked at me like I was crazy and said 'Captain of the Guard'."

"Okay, wait," Rapunzel interrupts. "What if that actually _is_ his name? Like, his first name is 'Captain' and his middle name is 'of the' and his last name is 'Guard'?"

"...You know, that is completely insane, but it's still more likely than neither of us hearing his name in over two years, right?" Eugene answers.

"Yeah…" Rapunzel says uncertainly. "Let's- let's just call him 'captain' when we see him." 

"Oh I hate this," Eugene responds as they continue walking down the hallway.

From the stables, they ride Max and Fidella down to Old Corona. As they approach the village, Eugene asks, "So did your parents grant him a house and his own land or something?"

"Actually, he's living with Quirin," Rapunzel responds. "The two of them hit it off really well, and Quirin had the space since Varian's moved into the castle. So now they're roommates."

"Oh my God, they're roommates?" Eugene asks. "I wouldn't have expected that, but I guess it makes sense. Those two have a lot in common, huh."

"Yep, both seasoned, disciplined warriors who served their kingdoms and now just want to enjoy a quiet rustic life," Rapunzel says.

"Also both their kids lost it and tried to tear down Corona," Eugene adds.

"...And they're both single dads! So yep, a lot in common," Rapunzel responds cheerfully.

They dismount by Quirin's house and Rapunzel uses her hair to grab a couple of apples from the nearby apple tree to offer to Max and Fidella as thanks for the ride. 

Several moments after knocking on the front door, it opens to the captain in civilian clothes.

"Your highness! Eugene! This is a surprise."

"Heyyyy captain!" Eugene responds, raising his hand awkwardly in a wave.

"You know, I'm not the captain anymore, you can just call me my name," the captain responds.

Eugene's hand freezes and he breaks into a sweat.

"...Well you'll always be the captain to us!" Rapunzel intervenes with a nervous laugh. "Anyway, captain-"

"Rapunzel wants you to train her to kick your daughter's ass," Eugene says plainly.

The captain stares between the two of them in silence for a moment, and Rapunzel quickly adds, "Well, how about we get back to that later. Can we come in?"

"Uh, of course," the captain says, stepping aside as he opens the door wider. "Quirin, the princess and guard captain have come by!" He shouts into the house.

"Oh, that's a nice surprise," Quirin responds from the kitchen, and he leans into the hallway to greet them. The captain leads Eugene and Rapunzel to the kitchen and gestures for them to sit at the table. After exchanging pleasantries, Quirin starts to heat water for tea as the captain sits with Rapunzel and Eugene. 

"Your highness," the captain sighs. "I- I want to apologize again, for not being there for Corona at her darkest hour. I-"

"Captain, please, don't worry about it," Rapunzel tells him earnestly. "I know it's been a very… difficult time for you. I never would have asked you to join the fight."

The captain looks down at his hands on the table with sad eyes. "It's no excuse. I spent my life dedicated to Corona, and I couldn't even-"

"Rapunzel's right," Eugene interrupts. "You can't blame yourself for any of it."

"I was a coward," the captain responds. "I was overcome with my grief. But it's not like that anymore," he adds, looking back up at them. "I'm handling it better. Being here with Quirin… it helps. It helps to be with someone who understands."

"It's a cycle as old as time," Quirin says, walking over to put a plate of bread and cheeses on the table. "A parent trying to protect their child, and in doing so causing so much more harm than if they let their child be." He looks up at Rapunzel. "I know you don't understand this now, your highness, but it's a pain we have to bear the rest of our lives, knowing the hurt we caused from our love. Whether it's something like trying to keep your child from a dark power from your past-" he looks towards the captain, "-or denying them the life they wish to lead."

Rapunzel swallows at the heavy atmosphere caused by Quirin's words.

"Or sending them away from a falling kingdom," Eugene says quietly.

Rapunzel looks down and feels her chest tighten. "Or limiting their freedom to make sure they stay safe," she adds softly, thinking about her own father.

"All we can do is hope for forgiveness," the captain says. Standing by him, Quirin rests a reassuring hand on his shoulder, and he reaches up to cover it with his own hand.

"Cassandra will forgive you, captain. You have to have faith in that," Rapunzel tells him earnestly.

The captain sighs. "We can't be sure."

"She will," Rapunzel asserts. "You know… when we first landed on Tirapi island during our journey, the magic item we found was a totem that would show you the things you most wanted to see. It was cursed, obviously, since that's just how that island is, and it would wind up making you addicted to it and then showing you nightmares - but it started off showing you the things that would make you happiest." Rapunzel reaches for the captain's hand resting on the table. "Cassandra's vision was practicing sword fighting with _you_ , captain. She _loves_ you. And we're going to get her back."

The captain returns Rapunzel's gaze with tear-filled eyes, and Eugene interrupts.

"Which brings us back to why we're here," he says, leaning forward and interlacing his fingers on the table. "Getting Cassandra back involves beating her up. And blondie here was hoping you'd give her some pointers."

The captain and Quirin stare at Eugene blankly, and Rapunzel adds, "Maybe we should start at the beginning."

Roughly fifteen minutes later, they're all sitting at the table with their tea, and Rapunzel finishes summarizing her experiences and their various theories.

"...Well that does sound like her," the captain admits.

"So, do you think you could train me?" Rapunzel asks.

"Of course," he answers. "It's the least I can do."

"I know it'll take some time to get back into it, since it's been a while since you last did any kind of fighting or weapons practice-" Rapunzel starts.

"Oh, not at all, actually," the captain interrupts. "Quirin and I spar most mornings." Quirin chuckles and the captain grins at him. "It's been great, seeing how our fighting styles are different, between Corona and the Dark Kingdom." He looks back over at Rapunzel. "I'm a better warrior now than ever, your highness. I'm sure you'll wind up surprising Cassandra, too, with some of the Dark Kingdom's techniques."

"It's quite the blast from the past," Quirin says. "I never thought I'd be doing this again, but it's wonderful. I feel like a young man again."

"Aw," Rapunzel says, delighted.

"Well, your highness, when would you like to get started?" The captain asks.

Rapunzel puts both hands on the table and jumps from her seat. "Right away." 

"You know, Horace, I could give you some lessons on the Dark Kingdom's warrior culture," Quirin tells Eugene.

"I never thought I would say this, but I am literally begging you to call me Eugene," he responds.

The captain and Quirin bring Rapunzel and Eugene to a cleared space outside the house near vegetable gardens with a rack of practice weapons by the fence.

"Alright your highness, how's your fencing knowledge?" The captain asks her, pulling out two swords.

"Um," Rapunzel stalls, taking the sword. "Well, I've fenced with Pascal my whole life, but I used a frying pan and didn't have any formal training," she answers.

"Also, Pascal is a frog," Eugene adds, and Pascal squeaks at him. 

"Right…" the captain responds slowly. "We'll start with the basics, then… I'll start training you the way I did for Cassandra. Of course, she was six at the time, so you have some catching up to do."

"Um, captain, if you don't mind me asking… Why didn't you let Cassandra into the guard?" Rapunzel asks. "She trained most of her life for it, and she's probably the best fighter in Corona after you." 

The captain sighs, taking a cloth to wipe his practice blade. "That's… complicated, your highness," he starts. "There are… a couple of reasons. For one, I feared her getting hurt. Things weren't always like they are now in Corona." He looks up at Rapunzel. "Before your father became king, I fought terrible threats, and my life had been in danger more times than I can count. I had no idea if this peaceful stretch would last, or if Cassandra would be thrust into battles that would threaten her life too."

"But you _know_ how capable she is," Rapunzel protests. "You personally trained her so that she is so capable!" 

"That's true," the captain admits. "But that wasn't the only reason. For another, I didn't want her to blindly follow in my footsteps rather than exploring her own interests..."

"But not being on the guard, she was doing lady-in-waiting work, and she didn't like that much either," Rapunzel interjects.

"Right…" The captain rubs his forehead. "There was another reason, and it's the one I'm not proud of, that I regret the most. You see, when I was raising Cassandra… Many people think that a man can't be a good parent alone, and certainly can't successfully raise a girl. I was… insecure, especially when things were hard, thinking that they were right. So when I heard their judgements - that I was doing her a disservice by training her, that I was going to… mess her up by treating her like a son - I became convinced they were right. It's why I told her she had to take up other work, and that I wouldn't let her into the guard." The captain sighs again. "I know now that I should never have listened to them, but that insecurity, that fear that I was hurting her somehow, it's why I did what I did. And it's what I so badly wish I could take back."

"I'm sorry, captain," Eugene says quietly. "Having people judge you for just trying to be there for your kid… that's awful."

"Did you ever tell Cass any of this?" Rapunzel asks, distressed.

"No. There are a lot of things I never told her," The captain answers. "I shouldn't have let the judgements of others sway what I felt in my heart, to support her unconditionally. But I just didn't know what I was doing. I don't… have any family to fall back on, so it was just me and her. I was so scared I would mess up."

"I don't mean to be rude, but... why _did_ you adopt Cassandra?" Eugene asks the captain. He continues slowly, "It just seems… like an odd choice for someone with your situation."

The captain answers with very raw emotion in his voice and his eyes: "Because I loved her from the moment I saw her."

Rapunzel looks away, overwhelmed by some powerful wave of her own feelings. "I guess she just has that effect on people," she says softly.

"I truly have no idea what universe you two are living in," Eugene says in a deadpan. 

"Well, let's get started, your highness," the captain tells Rapunzel abruptly, lifting his blade. "If you'd like to use a frying pan instead, that's fine. I'll use a sword to mimic Cassandra's fighting style. What you most need to remember is that Cassandra favors counterattacks over riposte. She's confident enough in her footwork and speed that she's sure she can dodge without needing to parry…"

Quirin fetches a frying pan for Rapunzel as the captain begins to explain the basics of Cassandra's fencing style to her. Eugene leans against the wall with Pascal on his shoulder to watch their bouts, with the captain starting slowly to show her some of Cassandra's favored techniques and offering Rapunzel ample time to counter. 

Although they kept at it for hours, by the end of it Rapunzel doesn't feel exhausted - she supposes her real fights with Cassandra have started to raise her stamina and muscular endurance. But she does feel very much like she better understands Cassandra's style of fighting, and she's excited to try some of the moves that she practiced. 

"Our next session we'll work on this again, and start on the basics of martial arts," the captain tells her.

Rapunzel beams at him. "That would be great. When should I come out again?"

"Actually, I'm going to start joining Quirin when he goes into the city to spend time with Varian," the captain responds. "So I can train with you then. How's three days from now?"

"That's perfect!" Rapunzel replies without even considering her schedule. If she has anything going on, she'll just reschedule it. This has become her top priority.

"We'll see you then," the captain tells her. "And… Thank you, princess. For everything."

🗡♡🗡♡🗡♡🗡

"Princess Rapunzel, may I present: your most humble subjects," Nigel announces as the doors open to the throne room. The assembled crowd pours into the room, each citizen eager to discuss their individual concerns during the morning royal council - specifically with Rapunzel, who is the representative for today.

Cassandra smirks in her disguise as she approaches the throne room doors. She has a concern she'd like to discuss. But first, she's going to lean on the back wall and listen in on the open audience for a bit to enjoy the show of Rapunzel trying to deal with the kind of people who attend civic councils: society's most absurd individuals.

"I find it unacceptable that construction is still going on," one woman at the front of the crowd states.

Rapunzel waits for a moment, but this is evidently the extent of the woman's complaint. "...Okay…" Rapunzel starts slowly. "Well, roughly 80% of the city needed repairs, and 30% needed complete rebuilding… and it's not done yet… so that's why construction is still going on," she explains.

"Yes, I know, do you think I don't know that?" The woman snaps. "I think it should be done already. And because it's not done already, I would like compensation." 

In the back of the room, Cassandra stifles an amused snort.

"Um, pardon?" Rapunzel asks with a strained smile.

"For my emotional duress," the woman says.

"...Do you mean distress-" Rapunzel starts.

"Never in my _life_ have I felt so neglected by an _elected official_ ," the woman continues.

"...Elected-?" 

"If you don't compensate me right now, I will never vote for you again," the woman says, crossing her arms.

"Do- I'm sorry, do you even live here?" Rapunzel asks, at a complete loss.

" _How dare you_ ," the woman responds. "You don't even know your constituents? I will need at least twice the amount of monetary compensation now than I required previously."

"Nigel, can you get the citizenship services clerk up here," Rapunzel says in an aside.

"This is unbelievable! I will not tolerate this disrespect. Goodbye, you've lost both a donor _and_ a voter," the woman says, turning towards the room's side door near the dias. "I hope the rest of the people here have learned a very important lesson about the kind of person you are." 

As the door closes behind her, Rapunzel looks back at the crowd and asks, "Okay, has anyone seen that woman before?" 

Her words are met with collective head shaking. "Ooookay," Rapunzel says. "Well, who would like to speak next?"

Cassandra snickers. What a fantastic start. This is gonna be a good session.

But much to Cassandra's emotional distress, everyone else's problems are _completely reasonable_. Concerns about construction scheduling, financial assistance, and minor neighborly disputes, all that Rapunzel is ready and capable to solve.

_Ugh. If you want something done terribly, you've got to do it yourself_ , Cassandra thinks to herself irritably, and she approaches the dias in her disguise as a middle-aged woman.

"I purchased several cupcakes from Attila's shop earlier this week and they all had _extremely_ harmful allergens in them," Cassandra begins. "I cannot believe the lack of warnings advertised in the shop. I request you take immediate action against the business."

"Oh uh, geez, that sounds bad," Rapunzel responds. "What- what allergens? I'll speak with Attila about properly labeling his bakes with potentially dangerous ingredients."

" _Peanuts_ ," Cassandra answers. "Don't you know how common that allergy is? It's like he wanted someone to accidentally eat some, hidden in his cupcakes."

"Huh, okay, which cupcakes?" Rapunzel asks, gesturing to Nigel to take notes.

"The peanut butter chocolate ones," Cassandra answers.

Rapunzel pauses in her motion and stares blankly at Cassandra in her disguise. "The- you- You're saying you want a warning on the peanut butter chocolate cupcakes… to tell you… there's peanuts in them?"

"That's right," Cassandra answers. "And I demand a full refund on the cupcakes I purchased."

"...Okay," Rapunzel says slowly. "Well, if you bring them back to the shop, I'll ask Attila to refund you-"

"Well I can't do that because I ate them," Cassandra cuts her off. 

"...But… But I thought you said you were allergic?"

" _I'm_ not allergic, but someone else could be. He could have _killed_ someone."

"...Okay, well, I can't ask him to refund you on a product you consumed-"

"Oh, so he's just going to get away with this?" Cassandra asks in disbelief.

"It's- it's not getting away with anything, since he didn't do anything wrong-" Rapunzel stutters. 

"It was _attempted murder_."

"How about this," Rapunzel says, pulling a smile to her face. "I'll make a decree to remind every baker to include ingredient warnings on their sales, aaaand I'll have the castle chef bring up some cupcakes for you to take home. There won't be any, uh, allergens in them."

Cassandra scoffs, but she can't think of any further direction to take her complaint, so she walks towards the side door without another word.

Looking around in the hallway to make sure no one's around, she shapeshifts and rejoins the crowd in the throne room from the back entry.

After a couple more people have spoken, Cassandra approaches the dias as a middle-aged man. "I would like you to issue a warrant for the arrest of my ex-wife," she tells Rapunzel.

"Oh gosh, what did she do?" Rapunzel asks, alarmed.

"She's a bitch," Cassandra responds.

"...Um, okay," Rapunzel says slowly. "But what laws did she break?"

"Every law of human decency," Cassandra says, affronted.

"...But were any of them like, legally-"

"Let me tell you about her," Cassandra interrupts. "When we first met, years ago, I thought she was really annoying. She was a real nutcase. Really, the exact kind of person I wouldn't like at all-"

"I'm sure your story is very interesting, but I need to know if she actually broke any laws," Rapunzel says desperately.

"I can't believe I came around to enjoying her company," Cassandra continues. "It was the biggest mistake of my life. She-"

"Maybe you should direct this to the guard captain," Rapunzel interrupts with a placating smile. "I'm sure he'd love to hear all about her and, uh, help you determine what legal actions should be taken." 

"That nitwit? No thank you," Cassandra says, turning away, and she leaves through the side door before Eugene could be summoned.

In the empty hallway off of the throne room, she takes another disguise.

"You're a terrible role model," Cassandra says several minutes later, standing in front of the dias as an older woman.

"...Uh, what?" Rapunzel asks.

"Haven't you ever heard of a haircut? And where are your _shoes?_ "

"Well, my hair is supernaturally uncuttable, and I prefer to be able to feel the ground under me so I… don't wear shoes," Rapunzel explains. "I'm not sure how that makes me a bad role model-"

"Your constant optimism is offputting and unrealistic," Cassandra cuts her off.

"Oh, um," Rapunzel stalls. "I'm… sorry?"

"Your undeserved trust in everyone around you is both absurd and dangerous," Cassandra continues.

"I consider trusting others to be more of a strength," Rapunzel responds with a nervous smile.

"Your inability to recognize other peoples' needs and boundaries is a problem you refuse to face," Cassandra adds.

"This is getting weirdly personal," Rapunzel notes, stressed.

"Whenever there's an issue either you bury yourself in denial or rabidly pursue a solution without a care for others," Cassandra tells her.

"I'm sorry, who are you?" Rapunzel asks. "I'm- I'm not sure that we actually know each other."

" _Anyone_ could see these things," Cassandra responds. "You're an open book. Which is another one of your flaws." 

"Do you have an actual concern, or are you just here to list my flaws?" Rapunzel questions, distressed.

"Your flaws _are_ my concern," Cassandra answers. "Work on yourself. Good day," she adds, and then strides towards the door.

"What the heck was that," Rapunzel whispers as Cassandra walks away, and Cassandra snickers out in the hallway.

_Alright enough fooling around_ , she thinks to herself. _Time for business_.

"Okay, are there any other concerns?" Rapunzel asks the people assembled in the throne room, most of whom had already spoken but stuck around to hear others' statements.

"Yeah I've got a concern," Cassandra calls out, striding through the throne room's back entrance without a disguise, drawing the sword under her cloak. "Why aren't we FIGHTING?" 

The assembled Coronans burst into a panic upon seeing her, some gasping in fear and stumbling backwards while others scream and bolt for the doors, pushing others out of their way. 

"Oh you've got to be kidding me," Rapunzel mutters as the room clears and people fall over each other trying to get out.

"Okay, that does not get old," Cassandra says, chuckling as she watches the people fleeing in terror.

"The royal council is adjourned," Rapunzel announces to the few people who hadn't yet gotten out. "Please attend the next open audience if your needs have not yet been addressed… Get home safe… etcetera."

"You gonna address my concern or what, princess?" Cassandra asks, pointing her sword at Rapunzel.

Rapunzel sighs. "Can we at least start outside? I've been sitting in here all morning, I want some fresh air."

Cassandra, in her good mood, decides to extend the generosity to grant Rapunzel's request. "Alright, it'll just be more satisfying to beat you where your people can see," she responds, sheathing her sword.

She expects Rapunzel to go to the courtyard, but instead she heads down the adjacent hallway to the nearby terrace that overlooks the city while undoing her hair. Cassandra follows closely behind, so she sees Rapunzel stop in front of the terrace railing and raise her hands to frame something in the distance between her index fingers and thumbs, the way she might start planning a painting. 

"What are you doing?" Cassandra asks, squinting at her.

"Aiming," Rapunzel answers.

"Aiming wh-" Cassandra starts, but she's distracted by glowing golden hair snaking over to wrap around her ankle. She's barely raised an eyebrow when the hair whips her into the air, and Cassandra spins while airborne as she sails past the castle's walls and over the city.

"WHAT THE FUCK," Cassandra shouts, but she doubts Rapunzel could hear her, as she's already very far from the castle and starting to fall back towards the ground.

She summons spikes to catch herself like she did last time. Looking around when she lands, she sees that she's been thrown to the very damaged area of the city they'd fought before. "What the fuck," Cassandra mutters to herself. She turns to stare at the castle, waiting to see if Rapunzel will take off into the sky after her, and she assumes a stance to brace herself for Rapunzel colliding with her. 

After about a minute, she realizes that Rapunzel isn't going to be shooting over and into her like a cannonball. Straightening, Cassandra feels dejected. Did Rapunzel just throw her away just to get rid of her? She isn't even going to try to fight? Cassandra's feelings are hurt. 

"Jerk," she mutters, scowling. She kicks a piece of debris by her foot and feels her anger flare. "She thinks she can just throw me away like… like garbage?"

Cassandra grits her teeth as she decides she's going to destroy- she doesn't know what. She has to think about it. Something big, to punish Rapunzel properly. She summons daggers of black rock to throw into a wall nearby while she brainstorms her revenge. Maybe she'll behead Rapunzel's statue.

A few minutes later, Cassandra starts at hearing Rapunzel's voice calling "Cass!" somewhere nearby. Cassandra walks onto the mostly-ruined street and sees Rapunzel run into her view.

"Oh, Cass!" Rapunzel calls, relieved. "You're still here. Phew, I'm glad."

Cassandra's eyes narrow at her as Rapunzel walks over. "I'm sorry I took so long, I still haven't figured out that whole _flying_ thing," she explains. "I had to ride down instead. So, um," she clears her throat and takes up her hair in her hands. "You wanted a fight?" 

Cassandra's expression softens, just barely. Rapunzel came down to fight. She wasn't just throwing Cassandra away like garbage. An embarrassingly large wave of relief hits her.

But she has an image to maintain, so she squints at Rapunzel again. "What was the deal with throwing me across the damn city?" She demands.

"What was the deal with interrupting my council?" Rapunzel shoots back.

Cassandra suppresses a smile. She's glad to see Rapunzel returning the same energy she's throwing out. Cassandra shrugs nonchalantly, responding, "I didn't interrupt anything. You asked for concerns and I stated one. You're the one who decided to adjourn the meeting, you could have addressed my concern without doing that."

"Well, I wanted to give you my full attention," Rapunzel says, her hair beginning to glow. "I wouldn't want you to feel like I'm not taking your concerns seriously."

"Aren't you a good princess," Cassandra replies with a smirk, and she draws her sword in a smooth motion.

Much to Cassandra's delight, Rapunzel initiates the fight, lunging forward and whipping her glowing hair over, which Cassandra blocks immediately with spikes from the ground. Their battle consists of their usual attacks: Cassandra striking at Rapunzel with her sword, summoning spikes to try to hit her, launching shards of black rock at her like throwing knives, attempting to encase her in stone; Rapunzel using energy blasts to hit Cassandra and break her rocks, throwing punches with her hair as magically-fortified brass knuckles, whipping at and trying to lasso Cassandra with her hair.

To shake things up, Cassandra summons huge spikes all around them to form walls, making a small arena that forces them into close-quarters combat, which prevents Rapunzel from effectively using her hair as a whip or lasso and optimizes Cassandra's use of her sword. 

Cassandra swings her black rock sword at Rapunzel, who raises her glowing hair as a shield and tries to use her magic to break the blade -

But Cassandra expected this, well in advance of their fight. There's a reason she had this sword with her before she even arrived in the throne room. Striking Rapunzel's glowing hair, the black rock shatters, revealing a regular sword beneath.

Rapunzel's eyes widen with shock, and Cassandra grins wildly. Seeing Rapunzel's astonishment is as satisfying as she thought it'd be. Cassandra swings around to strike again, and Rapunzel stumbles backwards as she raises her hair again to block the blow. 

She's sure Rapunzel could destroy the regular metal if she pleased, but it would take much more energy than breaking the black rocks, which her magic seems specially attuned to.

Cassandra sees Rapunzel shift her weight and pull back her arm with glowing hair wrapped around her fist. Predicting her path of motion, Cassandra quickly sidesteps the attack and lunges - 

Except Rapunzel didn't continue with the strike she'd drawn back for. It was a feint, and instead of falling directly into the path of Cassandra's lunge, she dips around Cassandra and throws her hair around Cassandra's sword. Cassandra's eyes widen as she tries to turn, but Rapunzel yanks the sword from Cassandra's hand and throws more hair to wrap around her ankles, and Cassandra falls to the ground.

Rapunzel pounces, immediately, and Cassandra finds herself face-to-face with an _extremely_ excited princess.

"Did you see that?!" Rapunzel exclaims at her, beaming, and she _squees_.

Usually Cassandra would shoot a column of black rock to launch Rapunzel away, but she's completely thrown off by the combination of Rapunzel's successful counter and her inexplicable reaction. "H-huh?" Cassandra stutters.

"Did you see that move I used on you?!" Rapunzel cries, thrilled.

"I- uh- yeah," Cassandra responds, still entirely at a loss. "I felt it, too. Since it hit me."

"Oh, right, yeah," Rapunzel answers with a sheepish giggle. "Well, I just wa-"

"Can we get back to our fight?" Cassandra demands, trying to compose herself as she feels increasingly flustered under Rapunzel.

"I gues-" Rapunzel starts, but then she's knocked off of Cassandra by a column of black rock.

Cassandra quickly stands and shoots a spike out of the ground to send her sword flying back to her, but Rapunzel's hair snaps over to grab it out of the air. Cassandra turns towards Rapunzel, growling, and Rapunzel catches the sword from her hair saying, "Mine now!"

Glancing at the ground, Cassandra gives a small smug smile before grabbing a lock of Rapunzel's hair nearby. "Mine now," she says in response, and pulls the hair taught.

Rapunzel quickly drops the sword to grab her hair so it wouldn't pull on her scalp, and she's yanked off her feet to sprawl in front of Cassandra. 

She blows a few strands from her face as she pushes herself off the ground and glares up at Cassandra. "Hair-pulling? _Really?_ " 

"Don't take my stuff," Cassandra responds as she leaps over to grab the sword Rapunzel dropped.

Their battle continues.

Their battle continues for a _long_ time. 

Cassandra is impressed at Rapunzel's endurance - she would have expected Rapunzel to get worn down the way she had during the rematch Cassandra had challenged her to a few weeks ago. But instead she's able to keep up with Cassandra, which means the battle drags on to the point that _both_ of them start exhibiting signs of exhaustion.

So it's only a matter of time before one of them makes a mistake. When Rapunzel catches Cassandra's wrist in one of her lassos, Cassandra isn't quick enough to shake it off, and she's pulled off her feet to fall onto the ground. Pushing herself up, Rapunzel collides with her from the side, and they go tumbling over each other until Rapunzel comes out on top, straddling Cassandra's waist and grabbing Cassandra's other wrist to lean forward and tie it over her head to the one already tangled in her hair. Rapunzel's long hair falls on either side of them as she holds Cassandra's wrists, blocking Cassandra's view of anything except for her. 

Usually Cassandra would just launch Rapunzel off of her with black rock - but she's fucking tired. They stay there for a few moments, both catching their breaths, and Cassandra's gaze flicks around Rapunzel's face. Since Rapunzel's hair acts as curtains all around them, only some light is let through. It reminds Cassandra of years ago, sitting in the blanket fort with Rapunzel that she had made in Cassandra's room.

Despite the long hair, Cassandra is briefly mesmerized by all the ways Rapunzel is still the same as back then. The same eyes, freckles, unreasonably persistent friendliness. Of course, there's a lot different between them now. For one thing, Rapunzel has her tied up and is straddling her, and is _leaning closer what the fuck_

"Have I properly addressed your concern," Rapunzel says quietly to Cassandra.

Cassandra's heart is beating wildly in her chest, and she feels dizzy. She realizes that Rapunzel must be asking about the 'concern' she'd brought up in the throne room - about wanting to fight. She swallows hard, her eyes darting around Rapunzel's face, which is too close.

She has no idea what to say. So instead she explodes.

A shockwave bursts out from her, slamming Rapunzel away and loosening the hair, which she quickly throws off of herself. With that, she runs without looking back.

🗡♡🗡♡🗡♡🗡

"Then she totally faked me out, she dodged me completely AND disarmed me AND tripped me up in her hair in one motion, it was like nothing I've seen!" Cassandra cries, gesturing emphatically in her black rock tower to her entirely uncaptivated avian audience. "It was- it was so cool! She ruined it right after though, she was so ridiculous, she got all excited about it," Cassandra continues, with absolutely no self-awareness of the excitement she herself had just been expressing. "She's like a puppy. She has no idea how to play it cool. But even still, it was awesome." 

"Hoo," Owl observes.

"What? No," Cassandra answers. "I don't _like her_ , I like _fighting her_ , and I like fighting her because I _don't_ like her. Duh." 

"Hoo," Owl presses.

"You have no idea what you're talking about," Cassandra tells him dismissively. "Go eat a vole."

Owl rolls his eyes and flies over to a nearby rock platform to pick up the canvas laying on it. Holding up the ripped piece of painting that only shows Rapunzel, Owl asks, "Hoo?"

Cassandra glares at him. "I need that for nemesis purposes," she explains flatly.

"Hoo," Owl responds, unconvinced, but he puts it down.

"You just have no appreciation for the fine institution of rivalry," Cassandra tells him. "Once you find yourself a proper rival you'll get it."

"Hoo," Owl says sarcastically.

"That's the spirit," Cassandra responds, completely missing his sarcasm. "Anyway, as I was saying, after she did this crazy move on me she had me pinned, so I summoned some rocks to send her flying, and then I try to hit the sword off the ground with a spike to grab it, but she whips her hair over before I could..." 

Owl settles into a loaf on the rock platform. He's going to be there a while.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I should start crediting my spouse Lake with jokes, since they've come up with some in this story: notably, Rapunzel angrily shouting about leaving a thoughtful gift when visiting Cassandra in her tower, from which I built out that whole scene; Cassandra taking numerous disguises to cause problems for Rapunzel during the royal council; and specifically the cupcake allergens complaint.
> 
> There are a few moments later in this fic that were inspired by others' posts or art, and I'll be linking to them in the notes as they occur.


End file.
